SCOTLAND

Outreach Service

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with the House of Commons authorities on the production of the Outreach Service's publication entitled People and Parliament: connecting with communities.

Ann McKechin: I am aware of the project that the hon. Member refers to and welcome its aim to spread awareness of the work and relevance of Parliament. I am very happy to support this project and to encourage greater engagement between the public and this Parliament.

Power Stations

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussions he has had with Scottish Executive Ministers on the siting of new coal-fired power stations in Scotland.

Jim Murphy: I have had no discussions with Scottish Government Ministers about the siting of new coal-fired power stations in Scotland.

Identity Cards

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussions he has had with the First Minister on the  (a) cost to the public purse of and  (b) implementation of the national identity card scheme in Scotland.

Jim Murphy: I have had no discussions with the First Minister on national identity cards.

Tourism

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent representations he has received on the effects of UK Government policies on tourism in Scotland.

Ann McKechin: My right hon. Friend has received no recent representations on this issue.

Manufacturing Sector

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent representations he has received on UK Government support for the Scottish manufacturing sector.

Jim Murphy: I have had discussions with a range of stakeholders about support for the Scottish manufacturing sector.
	Most recently, in September, I attended the Scottish engineering executive committee dinner in Glasgow and the Scotland Office, jointly with the David Hume institute, hosted a seminar bringing together key leaders in Government, industry and the university sector to discuss the opportunities and challenges for the high-tech engineering sector in Scotland.

Defence Establishments

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues on the future of defence establishments in Scotland.

Jim Murphy: I have regular discussions with ministerial colleagues on defence establishments given the many jobs they support in Scotland.

Glasgow Airport Rail Link

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussions he has had with Scottish Executive Ministers on the decision not to proceed with the Glasgow airport rail link.

Ann McKechin: I have had no such discussions with Scottish Ministers.

Departmental Postal Services

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much his Department spent on Royal Mail services in each of the last two years.

Ann McKechin: The Scotland Office spend using Royal Mail was £7,199 in 2007-08 and £13,476 in 2008-09. The Office was not required to top-up its franking machine in London during 2007-08, which significantly reduced the overall costs.
	The Scotland Office also incurred Royal Mail costs of £6,718,002 in relation to the posting of candidates' free mailing and the delivery of poll cards for the Scottish Parliament election in 2007-08. In 2008-09 the Scotland office incurred Royal Mail postage costs for two Westminster by-elections totalling £147,475.

Departmental Training

John Mason: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many external training courses were attended by staff of his Department in the last 12 months; and what the cost was of each course.

Ann McKechin: The Scotland Office encourages all staff to undertake learning and development activities. The majority of opportunities are provided through the Scottish Government and the Ministry of Justice; but where the training need is still not available within central Government, external training courses may be considered.
	The Office does not maintain a central record of all training courses attended by staff. However, during the current financial year, the Office has incurred £12,164.94 in direct expenditure.

Departmental Travel

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much his Department spent on  (a) car hire,  (b) train travel,  (c) air travel,  (d) hotels and  (e) restaurant meals for (i) Ministers and (ii) staff in his Department in each of the last five years.

Ann McKechin: The tables show the Scotland Office spend on car hire, rail and air travel. The Office does not separately record the spend on hotels and restaurant meals.
	
		
			  Ministers 
			  £ 
			   Car hire( 1)  Rail  Air 
			 2004-05 8,042 374 2,822 
			 2005-06 16,559 1,223 5,509 
			 2006-07 5,797 1,745 5,270 
			 2007-08 14,237 1,358 7,518 
			 2008-09 18,439 1,381 23,313 
			 (1) This does not include the Government Car Service London costs for which I refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement issued on 16 July 2009,  Official Report, column 79WS. 
		
	
	
		
			  Staff 
			  £ 
			   Car hire  Rail  Air 
			 2004-05 2,896 25,632 74,331 
			 2005-06 4,051 32,244 73,431 
			 2006-07 4,644 37,150 70,263 
			 2007-08 3,549 31,100 56,946 
			 2008-09 637 22,045 87,323

Holiday Accommodation: Taxation

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with Treasury Ministers on the effect of the abolition of furnished holiday lettings tax relief on tourism, rural areas and regional economies in Scotland.

Ann McKechin: My right hon. Friend has regular discussions with Treasury colleagues on a range of matters affecting Scotland.
	Government will publish an impact assessment at pre-Budget report 2009 alongside draft legislation.

Scotland

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether his Department plans to make a submission to the Scottish Executive's National Conversation consultation on Scotland's constitutional future.

Ann McKechin: The Scotland Office has not submitted evidence to the Scottish Government's National Conversation.
	The Commission on Scottish Devolution was established by majority vote in the Scottish Parliament and with the full support of the UK Government. UK Departments submitted evidence to the Commission during its first phase of evidence gathering.
	The Commission recently published its final report, which can be found here:
	http://www.commissiononscottishdevolution.org.uk/uploads/2009-06-12-csd-final-report-2009fbookmarked.pdf
	A steering group has been established under the chairmanship of the Secretary of State for Scotland to help the UK Government and the Scottish Parliament plan how to take forward the Calman recommendations and deliver stronger devolution within a stronger United Kingdom.

CABINET OFFICE

2009 Edition of "Public Bodies"

Greg Clark: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office when she expects to publish the 2009 edition of "Public Bodies".

Tessa Jowell: We expect to publish "Public Bodies 2009" early in the new year. Copies will be placed in the Libraries of the House and made available online.

Civil Servants

Nick Hurd: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what information the Cabinet Office holds on the average turnover rate amongst civil servants in each  (a) Government department and  (b) executive agency.

Angela Smith: The Department does not hold data centrally on civil service average turnover rates among civil servants in each  (a) Government Department and  (b) Executive Agency.
	Information on the number of leavers in the year to 31 March 2008 and the number of permanent staff as at 31 March 2008 by  (a) Government Departments and  (b) Executive Agency is collected by ONS as part of the Annual Civil Service Employment Survey. A copy has been placed in the Library and is available at the following ONS webpage:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk=2899&Pos=&ColRank=1&Rank=422

Civil Service: Pensions

Philip Hammond: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office with reference to paragraph C. 76, page 242 of Budget 2009, if she will place in the Library a copy of the actuarial advice she received on the civil service pension scheme; and if she will make a statement.

Tessa Jowell: The projections underlying forecast expenditure for the civil service scheme reflect the actuarial assumptions set at the time of the last scheme valuation. A copy of the actuary's report of December 2007 is in the Library.

Glasgow

John Mason: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether she plans to visit Glasgow on official business during the summer adjournment.

Tessa Jowell: I have not visited Glasgow on official business during the summer adjournment.

Government Communication Network

Mark Hoban: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  what the budget for  (a) the Government Communication Network and  (b) the Government Communication Group is for (i) 2008-09, (ii) 2009-10, (iii) 2010-11 and (iv) 2011-12;
	(2)  what the cost to the public purse of  (a) the Government Communication Network and  (b) the Government Communication Group was in each year for which figures are available.

Tessa Jowell: The budget for Government Communication Group for 2008-09 was £2.1 million, and is £2.1 million for 2009-10. The Cabinet Office has not yet finalised unit budgets for future financial years beyond this spending review period.
	The group's remit includes improving professional capability of government communication, cross-departmental co-ordination and the customer service standard. The Government Communications Network is the mainly online community to share best practice and learning to communication staff across government. Its administrative support is provided through the Government Communication Group and its costs are not separately identified but included in the total figure.
	Expenditure for the Government Communication Group was as follows:
	
		
			   Expenditure (£) 
			 2005-06 2,335,000 
			 2006-07 2,407,000 
			 2007-08 2,114,000 
			 2008-09 1,813,000

Government Departments: Data Protection

Ben Wallace: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what  (a) losses of information and  (b) breaches of information security have been reported to her Department by other Government departments since June 2008.

Tessa Jowell: As required in the cross government data handling review and to facilitate greater openness and transparency of data security breaches, Departments are required to report on significant personal information security breaches in their annual resource accounts. The first summary reports by Departments were published in their annual resource accounts at the end of the 2007-08 reporting year and these have now been followed by the 2008-09 accounts. These reports are publicly available through departmental websites.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Attendance Allowance: Scotland

John Mason: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in  (a) Glasgow East constituency and  (b) Scotland were in receipt of the (i) higher and (ii) lower rate of attendance allowance on the latest date for which figures are available.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 9 September 2009
	The information is provided in the table:
	
		
			  The number of people in Glasgow East constituency and Scotland in receipt of higher and lower rate of attendance allowance at February 2009 
			   Lower rate  Higher rate 
			 Glasgow East parliamentary constituency 1,290 2,050 
			 Scotland 57,360 87,640 
			  Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest ten. 2. Totals show the number of people in receipt of the lower or higher rate attendance allowance. Excludes people with an entitlement where payment has been suspended.  Source:  DWP Information Directorate Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study

Pensioners: Poverty

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent estimate she has made of the number of pensioners living in poverty in East Dunbartonshire constituency.

Angela Eagle: Estimates of poverty, published in the households below average income series, only allows a breakdown of the overall number of people in poverty at Government Office Region level. Therefore, information for East Dunbartonshire constituency is not available.
	Latest information for Scotland, Government Office Region, is based on three year averages and is provided in Table 1 as follows:
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of pensioners (thousands) falling below various thresholds of median household income, after housing costs, Scotland Government Office Region, 2005-06 to 2007-08 
			   Number 
			 Below 60 per cent. of contemporary median household income 200,000 
			 Below 50 per cent. of contemporary median household income 100,000 
			 Below 60 per cent. of the 1998-99 median household income uprated in line with prices 100,000

Social Fund: Glasgow

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 20 July 2009,  Official Report, column 110WS, on the Discretionary Social Fund, for what reasons the changes to the Discretionary Social Fund were extended to Glasgow; and when she expects such an extension to end.

Helen Goodman: This change requires customers to be interviewed when they make a third or subsequent application for a crisis loan to cover living expenses (not including loans to cover the period before the customer receives their first payment of benefit or wages) in a rolling 12 month period.
	This policy was extended to Glasgow in order to test the impact of this change in a large city environment; and to provide a comparison for Jobcentre Plus of the impact of interviewing a client on a third and subsequent crisis loan application in isolation from the combined measure being tested elsewhere. The testing in the two other areas-the East Midlands and South West Regions-included limiting the number of some crisis loan awards for living expenses to no more than three in 12 months.
	We plan to rollout the changes nationally from the end of October 2009.

WOMEN AND EQUALITY

Equality and Human Rights Commission

Bob Neill: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what assessment she has made of whether the Chairman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission has a conflict of interest in relation to his role in the Equate Organisation.

Maria Eagle: The chair of the EHRC has declared his interests in relation to Equate and has organised his work in order to avoid a conflict of interest.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

India: Christianity

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department has taken to address the problems faced by Christians in Orissa state, India.

Ivan Lewis: Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ministers expressed their concerns directly to the Indian government at the time the violence occurred in 2008. The Indian central government has since urged the state government of Orissa, who are responsible for law and order in the state under the Indian constitution, to prevent any further such incidents. It has also offered compensation and assistance to victims of communal violence in India, including in Orissa. The EU sent a fact-finding mission to Orissa in December 2008 (in which a member of our high commission participated). Our high commission subsequently discussed the findings of that visit with the Indian government in Delhi, and also raised the issue of minority rights in Orissa at the last EU-India Human Rights Dialogue meeting in February 2009. They will participate in a further EU visit to Orissa, which is currently planned for December.

Middle East

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the government of Israel on its policy priorities for  (a) Gaza and  (b) the West Bank; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: We are in regular contact with Israeli Ministers and officials. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minster spoke to Prime Minister Netanyahu on 18 September. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary spoke to Defence Minister Barak on 13 October.
	These discussions cover a range of issues, including Israeli policies in the west bank, east Jerusalem and Gaza. Israel has legitimate concerns about its security and is right to demand the immediate release of Gilad Shalit. However, we are clear where we believe Israeli policies undermine hopes of peace and cause Palestinian civilians to suffer, notably through Israeli settlement building and movement restrictions in the west bank and east Jerusalem, and the restrictions on people and goods moving in and out of Gaza.

Morocco

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will instruct HM Ambassador in Rabat to investigate the abduction and torture by Moroccan security agents on 27 August 2009 of Ms Hassawina Nguyia, a 19 year-old Sahrawi woman who had previously been prevented from travelling to London to participate in the programme, Youths talk together about Western Sahara.

Ivan Lewis: Our ambassador to Morocco and his staff at the British embassy in Rabat have already sought clarification from the Moroccan Government regarding Ms Hassawina Nguyia and the other Sahrawi students due to take part in an event in Oxford in August this year.
	The Government made clear to the Moroccan authorities that they regretted that the students had been prevented from travelling to the UK and that they were concerned by allegations of the disproportionate use of force.
	The Moroccan Government have told us that they remain open to participating in future events organised by Talk Together and have investigated the allegations of mistreatment, which they deny. We will continue to seek further clarification from the Moroccan authorities.

Nigeria: Arms Control

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received of developments in the case of a Ukrainian aircraft detained in Nigeria in June 2009 following reports it was carrying weapons and ammunition.

Chris Bryant: We were not previously aware of this incident, although it was reported by the BBC and in the African press over the summer. The hon. Member for Winchester (Mr. Oaten) has been a member of the Commons Committee on Arms Export Controls since September 2008.

North Korea: Nuclear Power

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will seek to place on the agenda of the United Nations Security Council the matter of the sale of nuclear technology by North Korea to the government of Burma.

Ivan Lewis: We are aware of unconfirmed reports of nuclear cooperation between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) (North Korea) and Burma and continue to monitor the situation.
	We are already working actively with international partners to ensure effective implementation of the robust package of sanctions imposed in the new UN Security Council Resolution 1874 on DPRK. This was agreed unanimously in June following the North Korean underground nuclear test of May 2009.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Identity and Passport Service: Complaints

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many complaints the Identity and Passport Service has received from  (a) members of the public and  (b) hon. Members in each of the last 12 months;
	(2)  how many complaints his Department has received from hon. Members in respect of the operation of the Identity and Passport Service in each of the last 12 months.

Phil Woolas: The total number of complaints received during the period of June 2008-May 2009 are:
	
		
			   Number 
			  (a) Members of the public 7,137 
			  (b) Hon. Members 707 
		
	
	The following table is the breakdown of the complaints received in each of the last 12 months:
	
		
			   MP cases  Members of the public 
			 June 89 859 
			 July 99 891 
			 August 79 724 
			 September 66 570 
			 October 71 488 
			 November 47 563 
			 December 49 358 
			 January 29 386 
			 February 39 522 
			 March 58 650 
			 April 42 567 
			 May 39 559 
			 Total 707 7,137 
		
	
	The Identity and Passport Service does not record complaints in the form of the operation of the service. However, hon. Members' complaints received in IPS are broken down into specific categories and the top three categories from June 2008-May 2009 are:
	1. Customer care
	2. Delay in processing postal application
	3. IPS policy and procedures
	It should also be noted that one letter can generate multiple categories.

Police: Drugs

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers have been tested for substance misuse in each of the last three years; and how many of those tests have recorded a positive result of substance misuse.

David Hanson: The information requested is not available centrally.

Vetting

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what mechanisms are in place to ensure that the barred status of an individual under the Vetting and Barring scheme is flagged on Criminal Records Bureau checks.

David Hanson: In accordance with provisions of the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006, the status of an individual under the Vetting and Barring Scheme will be included on an Enhanced Criminal Records Bureau disclosure with effect from 12 October 2009.

TRANSPORT

Departmental Paternity Leave

Justine Greening: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many staff took paternity leave from his Department in each of the last five years; and what the average duration of such leave has been.

Chris Mole: The following table provides details of the number of staff who took paternity leave in the last five years:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2004-05 117 
			 2005-06 151 
			 2006-07 154 
			 2007-08 171 
			 2008-09 152 
		
	
	The information in the above table does not include the Driving Standards Agency and Vehicle Certification Agency. Their information can be provided only by incurring disproportionate costs.
	The average length of paternity leave is 8.4 days across Department for Transport Central and its Agencies.

Motorways: Speed Limits

David Drew: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what powers traffic officers have to  (a) stop and  (b) report speeding vehicles on motorways.

Chris Mole: Under the provisions of Part 1 of the Traffic Management Act (2004), Highways Agency Traffic Officers have the power to stop and direct traffic and pedestrians. This is the same power as a police constable has under sections 35, 37 and 163(1) and (2) of the Road Traffic Act 1988.
	Traffic Officers do not have an enforcement role and therefore do not stop vehicles for speeding. This responsibility remains with the police. Traffic Officers have a general instruction to report acts of a criminal nature to their control office for reporting to the police for possible prosecution. This is in line with their procedures for identifying when an incident should be police led.

Public Service Vehicles: Fuels

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what progress his Department has made in supporting the development of oxyhydrogen as an alternative fuel for public transport vehicles.

Sadiq Khan: The Department for Transport is committed to reducing emissions of both air quality pollutants and greenhouse gases from road transport, for example through setting of performance requirements for new vehicles. We welcome developments which assist in the meeting of those commitments, but do not generally provide support for development of specific technologies. Rather we leave industry free to develop the most effective technologies to meet the performance requirements we set.
	We are not aware of anyone currently proposing the use of a mixture of oxygen and hydrogen gases as a fuel for road vehicles. We are, however, frequently approached by companies marketing "hydrogen on-demand" systems which produce small quantities of this gas mixture on-board the vehicle, to feed into the inlet air. This is claimed to reduce fuel consumption and emissions of pollutants.
	As with other proprietary products claimed to deliver fuel consumption benefits we recommend that companies commission objective testing to support the benefits claimed in the marketing of their products. The Department has not, to date, seen any objective evidence that hydrogen on-demand systems for retrofitting to engines actually produce such benefits.

Railway Stations: Crimes of Violence

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many crimes of each type were recorded as having taken place  (a) on trains and  (b) at railway stations in each London borough in each of the last four years.

Chris Mole: This information is not held by the Department for Transport, but by the British Transport Police who can be contacted at:
	British Transport Police,
	25 Camden Road, London NW1 9LN,
	E-mail: parliament@btp.pnn.police.uk

Rolling Stock

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many of the 1,300 additional rail carriages announced in the 2007 Rail White Paper will be allocated to each rail operator.

Chris Mole: So far there have been 543 new rail carriages ordered by the following Train Operators.
	
		
			  TOC  Type  Class  No of Vehicles 
			 Southern EMU - DV 377 48 
			 London Midland EMU 350/2 148 
			 London Midland DMU 172 69 
			 Chiltern DMU 172 8 
			 Southern EMU -DV 377 44 
			 Virgin West Coast EMU 390 106 
			 NXEA EMU 379 120 
		
	
	On 23 July, the Government announced a major new electrification programme which radically affects the requirements for train rolling stock over the next decade. In particular, there will be far less need for diesel trains and a greater requirement for electric trains. The Department will publish a new rolling stock plan in the autumn, setting out a revised strategy.

JUSTICE

Bankruptcy

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many UK  (a) companies and  (b) individuals filed for bankruptcy in the financial year 2008-09.

Bridget Prentice: The following table shows the number of insolvency and bankruptcy petitions issued in the High Court and county courts of England and Wales during 2008-09. The Ministry of Justice does not hold corresponding statistics for Scotland or Northern Ireland.
	
		
			  Insolvency and bankruptcy petitions filed in England and Wales, 2008-09 
			   Number 
			 Company winding up 12,966 
			 Creditors bankruptcy 20,442 
			 Debtors bankruptcy 59,453 
		
	
	Statistics on insolvency and bankruptcy petitions are published in a quarterly National Statistics bulletin "Company winding up and bankruptcy petition statistics" which can also be found on the Ministry of Justice website at:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/companywindingupandbankruptcy.htm
	The Ministry of Justice statistics do not indicate the actual number of company winding-up orders and bankruptcy orders during a particular period. These statistics are published by the Insolvency Service and can be found on their website at:
	http://www.insolvency.gov.uk/otherinformation/statistics/insolv.htm

Data Protection

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what guidance the Court Service has issued on the practice of file-sealing in cases involving alleged breaches of  (a) privacy and  (b) duty of confidentiality.

Bridget Prentice: I am told there has been no guidance issued by Her Majesty's Courts Service (HMCS) nor any process that would involve the courts in file-sealing. I have also been informed that HMCS does not hold any information about Privacy or duty of confidentiality cases.

Divorce

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what estimate his Department has made of the number of decrees absolute granted in  (a) 2005,  (b) 2006,  (c) 2007 and  (d) 2008;
	(2)  how many divorces his Department recorded centrally in  (a) 2005,  (b) 2006,  (c) 2007 and  (d) 2008.

Bridget Prentice: The estimated number of decrees absolute granted is shown in Table 5.5 of Judicial and Court Statistics 2008. A copy of this Command Paper (CM7697) was laid before Parliament on 24 September 2009 and is also available in the Libraries of the House. This is also available online at:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/judicialandcourtstatistics.htm
	A central record of decrees absolute is kept by the Principal Registry of the Family Division. The information on the central record is compiled by Office of National Statistics (ONS) upon receiving notification of decrees absolute from the courts, and is then sent to the Principal Registry of the Family Division.
	The provisional figures for the number of decrees absolute granted each year are shown in the following table.
	
		
			   HMCS/MOJ figures  ONS/Central index figures 
			 2005 142,367 141,750 
			 2006 133,026 132,562 
			 2007 129,146 128,534 
			 2008 122,861 (1)93,100 
			 (1 )Up to 3rd quarter 2008  Note: These figures include both decrees absolute and decrees of nullity. The ONS figures for 2007 and are provisional. The ONS figures for 2008 are provisional, rounded to three significant figures and cover the first three quarters of 2008 only. 
		
	
	ONS figures can be found at:
	Table 1: Divorces: Petitions filed and decree granted, available at:
	www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase/Product.asp?vlnk=14124
	Annual Reference Volume: Marriage, divorce and adoption statistics (series FM2 no. 34), available at:
	www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_population/FM2no34/FM2_No34.pdf
	Population Trends 137, Table 2.1: Vital statistics summary.
	www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_population/PopTrends137web.pdf

Legal Aid

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many legal aid lawyers dealing with immigration and asylum cases there were in  (a) England,  (b) Devon and  (c) East Devon constituency in each of the last 10 years;
	(2)  how many legal aid lawyers dealing with  (a) housing cases,  (b) employment cases and  (c) family cases there were in (i) England, (ii) Devon and (iii) East Devon in each of the last 10 years.

Bridget Prentice: The information requested is currently being collated. Some information that addresses these questions is held by the Legal Services Commission, but not in a form which can immediately be used to answer the questions. I will write to the hon. Member once we have the information requested.

Legal Aid: Rural Areas

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what schemes his Department has in place to ensure that those living in rural or isolated areas have access to legal aid lawyers.

Bridget Prentice: The Legal Service Commission (LSC) regularly monitors access to specialist legal advice. Where particular geographical access issues have been identified, the LSC aims to fill gaps through interim bid rounds. In addition, as part of the impact assessment of all policy changes the LSC carries out rural proofing.
	The LSC is also establishing a number of Community Legal Advice Networks in rural locations which will offer integrated advice services, including specialist legal advice in debt, employment, welfare, community care and housing. Clients will be able to obtain face to face advice on tackling their civil legal problems in one or more easily accessible sources.
	In addition, the LSC runs the Community Legal Advice helpline (0845 345 4 345) in England and Wales, which provides specialist advice to people who live on a low income or benefits by the telephone on debt, housing, employment, welfare benefits and tax credits, education and family matters. Last year the Community Legal Advice helpline dealt with over 335,000 cases.

Vexatious Litigants

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what consideration he has given to additional restrictions on the ability of people who have been declared vexatious litigants to pursue court proceedings.

Bridget Prentice: Vexatious litigants may not instigate, continue or make any application in any court proceedings without first seeking leave from the High Court. To give leave the court has to be satisfied that there is no abuse of process and that there are reasonable grounds for the proceedings or application. We have no current plans to impose additional restrictions on vexatious litigants.

Young Offenders: Magistrates Courts

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many  (a) magistrates who sit in adult magistrates' courts and  (b) other magistrates had received training on dealing with juvenile offenders on the latest date for which figures are available.

Bridget Prentice: No figures are kept centrally in this format. Having been selected to sit in first the adult court, and perhaps later specialising in the youth court, magistrates and district judges (magistrates court) receive training from both the Judicial Studies Board and local Magistrates Area Training Committees to fulfil their judicial roles and functions. This is a combination of courses on induction, continuation and bench chairmanship training by which includes information and practising practical examples of court scenarios such as bail decisions, trials, youths appearing in the adult court, youth remands, and by specific issue training when new legislation is commenced. This is supplemented by both the Adult Court and Youth Court Bench Books which are available to courts in both hard copy and via the JSB website.
	Since the Constitutional Reform Act 2005, the Lord Chief Justice is responsible for the provision and sponsorship of judicial training, within the resources provided by the Lord Chancellor. Each year, the Judicial Studies Board publishes its own Annual Report and, on behalf of the Lord Chief Justice, a National Summary of individual Magistrates Area Training Committees' annual reports, which includes the details and volume of the training provided in the area during the preceding year.

Young Offenders: Magistrates Courts

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he is taking to ensure that all  (a) magistrates sitting in adult magistrates' courts and  (b) district judges receive (i) specific training in bail law and (ii) guidelines in relation to juvenile remands.

Bridget Prentice: Since the Constitutional Reform Act 2005, the Lord Chief Justice is responsible for the provision and sponsorship of judicial training, within the resources provided by the Lord Chancellor. The Lord Chief Justice exercises his executive responsibilities for oversight of the Judicial Studies Board through the Judicial Executive Board.
	Each year, magistrates and district judges (magistrates court) receive training from both the Judicial Studies Board and local Magistrates Area Training Committees designed to assist in fulfilling their judicial roles and functions via courses on induction, continuation and bench chairmanship training which includes information and practising practical examples of court scenarios such as bail decisions, youths appearing in the adult court, youth remands. This is supplemented by both the Adult Court and Youth Court Bench Books which are available to courts in both hard copy and via the JSB website.

Young Offenders: Magistrates Courts

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the names are of the chairs of the board of each youth magistrates' court.

Jack Straw: The Ministry of Justice does not hold a central list of chairmen of youth panels for each magistrates court. Chairmen of these panels are elected annually and can service for a maximum of three years. The number of youth panel chairmen are held by the Justices' Clerks Society with names held locally at each bench. This information can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Youth Justice

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many children have appeared before a magistrates' court on a Saturday in the latest year for which figures are available;
	(2)  how many youth courts have sat on a Saturday in the latest year for which figures are available.

Bridget Prentice: There are no figures available regarding how many children have appeared before a magistrates court on a Saturday. Data that is collected cannot be broken down into days of the week.
	There are no figures available regarding whether any youth courts have sat on a Saturday. Youths appearing at court on a Saturday will appear before a magistrates court and be remanded or bailed to the relevant youth court.

HEALTH

Blood: Contamination

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 16 July 2009 to the hon. Member for Cardiff Central,  Official Report, columns 656-57W, on blood: contamination, whether he has sought from the people whose personal information is in the seven withheld records permission to disclose those records.

Gillian Merron: No. I am advised that the documents contain personal information (exempt under section 40 of the Freedom of Information Act), some of which was provided in confidence (and so exempt under section 41 of the Freedom of Information Act). In view of the time that has elapsed, and the personal nature of the information, we do not believe that it would be appropriate for the Department to make such requests.

Drugs: Misuse

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the annual cost to the public purse of drug action teams is; and how many staff are part of drug action teams.

Gillian Merron: Local drugs partnerships (such as Drug Action Teams) are responsible for delivering the Government's drug strategy at a local level. These combine representatives from key local bodies including local authorities, health, probation and the prison service. Because these partnerships operate at a local level, their structure differs from area to area, enabling them to best address the needs of their local populations.
	Information about the structure and staffing of individual local drugs partnerships and their costs is not collected centrally.

Haemophilia

Charles Kennedy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many tissue or blood samples taken from UK haemophiliacs in the last three years are held by the National Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Surveillance Unit;
	(2)  how many tissue or blood samples taken from UK haemophiliacs who are deceased are held by the National Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Surveillance Unit;
	(3)  how many tissue or blood samples taken from UK haemophiliacs and held by the National Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Surveillance Unit have been tested to date.

Gillian Merron: In the past three years (January 2006 to date), as part of an ethically approved surveillance study, the National Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Surveillance Unit (NCJDSU) has received and tested 252 tissue samples from 12 patients with haemophilia for the presence of disease-associated protein. Of these 15 tissue samples were from five living people, and 237 tissue samples from seven deceased people. All samples were tested, and all samples had consent prior to them being sent to the NCJDSU for testing. No blood samples were received or tested.
	To date, in total the NCJDSU holds 372 tissue, and no blood, samples from a total of 12 deceased patients with haemophilia.
	All samples received by the NCJDSU have been tested.

Haemophilia

Charles Kennedy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether tissue or blood samples taken from UK haemophiliacs, and held as library samples, have been tested for the presence of the PA virus in the last three years.

Gillian Merron: There have been no known such tests.

Haemophilia

Charles Kennedy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent advice his Department has sought on individual haemophiliacs' unique experience of multiple virus exposure, and its consequences for their health and treatment.

Gillian Merron: In the past year departmental officials have met with officials of the Haemophilia Society and, separately, with representatives of the UK Haemophilia Centre Doctors' Organisation. Haemophilia patients' experience of multiple virus exposure was discussed at some of these meetings.

Hospitals: Parking

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how much he expects his proposals to provide free parking for hospital in-patients to cost in each financial year; from which budgets he expects the money to be taken; and whether he expects the budgets of any other programmes to be reduced consequent on the implementation of those proposals;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the percentage of income from hospital parking charges accounted for by charges paid by  (a) outpatients and  (b) staff; and whether these groups will have access to free parking at hospital sites under his policy for free parking for hospital in-patients.

Mike O'Brien: Over the next three years, as it can be afforded, car parking charges for in-patients will be phased out. Out-patients will benefit from improved Concession guidance that will be launched next year. Staff car parking is decided locally by national health service organisations and is not changed by the policy of phasing out of car parking charges for inpatients.
	The cost per annum for phasing out car parking for in-patients and their visitors has been estimated at £141 million. Funding of these costs will be provided by reducing back office costs without affecting clinically related budgets.
	The information requested on the assessment of parking charges is not available in the format requested. Data provided by the NHS in 2007-08 indicated that £27.9 million was received from staff car parking and £83.6 million from inpatients, outpatients and visitors. Parking charges relating specifically to outpatients was not collected separately. This information is as provided by the NHS and has not been amended separately. It was collected on a voluntary basis and therefore is not likely to be complete.

Hospitals: Parking

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans his Department has to ensure that all staff at NHS hospitals in England do not have to pay car parking charges; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State recently announced plans to phase out car parking charges for in-patients. The Department has no plans to extend this to staff. It is the responsibility of each national health service organisation to set a policy on staff car parking that is appropriate to its local situation.

Midwives

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many agency midwives were employed by each primary care trust (PCT) in each of the last five years; and how much each PCT spent on the employment of agency midwives in each such year.

Ann Keen: This information is not collected centrally.
	The midwifery agency spend is collected within the financial return as part of agency nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff costs. Agency midwifery spend is not identified separately.

Midwives: Training

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much each strategic health authority has spent on  (a) three-year and  (b) 18-month midwifery courses in each of the last five years.

Ann Keen: Information on how much each strategic health authority has spent on three-year and 18-month midwifery courses in each of the last five years is not held centrally.

NHS: Employment Agencies

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will bring forward proposals to increase the number of regionally-based recruitment agencies used to supply staff to the NHS.

Ann Keen: The recently awarded nursing framework has given agencies the opportunity to tender on both a regional and national basis and the framework has been awarded regionally i.e. aligned to strategic health authority boundaries.

NHS: Renewable Energy

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS buildings use heat generated by  (a) solar panels and  (b) ground source heat pumps.

Mike O'Brien: The Department does not collect data centrally on the number of national health services buildings in England that use heat generated by solar panels and ground source heat pumps.
	NHS organisations are legally autonomous and are best placed to make their own decisions locally about specific items of equipment, such as solar panels and ground source heat pumps, to ensure they are appropriate to meet their needs, circumstances and strategies.
	The Department is committed to supporting the NHS to meet the requirements of the Climate Change Act 2008, such as carbon budgets and the forthcoming carbon reduction commitment. It is recognised that this will only be achieved by greater take-up by the NHS of renewable energy sources and better, more holistic energy efficiency measures. Provision by the Department of a £100 million energy and sustainability capital fund, encouraged the take-up of renewable energy forms of heat and power such as biomass boilers, solar panels and heat pumps.
	The Department is actively supporting the NHS Sustainable Development Unit (NHS SDU), which has produced the NHS Carbon Reduction Strategy. In addition, the Department, in partnership with the Carbon Trust, is working with individual NHS organisations to identify appropriate investment strategies. The Carbon Trust along with the NHS SDU is also raising management awareness and providing implementation advice to NHS organisations.
	The Department provides guidance to assist the NHS and their partners in meeting the criteria in the document Health Technical Memorandum 07-02 "Encode-making energy work in healthcare", a copy of which has been placed in the Library. This guidance provides general energy efficiency standards within healthcare facilities and covers new build and refurbishment projects as well as the energy management of existing facilities.

Prescriptions: Fees and Charges

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what expenditure his Department has incurred on the NHS business authority administering pre-paid prescription certificates in the last 12 months; and what estimate he has made of the income forgone in exemptions to prescription charges in the same period.

Mike O'Brien: The administering of pre-payment prescription certificates (PPCs), medical exemption certificates and maternity exemption certificates is a single process. It is not possible to provide a cost for administering PPCs.
	The total costs for England, including overheads, for the 12-month period August 2008 to July 2009 for administering PPCs, medical exemption certificates and maternity exemption certificates for residents of England was £4.418 million.
	The estimate of income forgone in England from exemptions to prescription charges in the most recent 12 months for which data are available (August 2008 to July 2009) is £5.6 billion. The estimate assumes no deterrent effect, and no substitution of charged prescriptions with Over the Counter Medicines. This is likely to mean that this is an over-estimate.

Quality and Outcomes Framework

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence to publish on its website a timetable for its review of Quality and Outcomes Framework indicators.

Mike O'Brien: The independent Advisory Committee met in July and agreed principles for its review of Quality and Outcomes Framework indicators. Details of these discussions have been published on the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence website and a copy placed in the Library.

Quality and Outcomes Framework

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the remit of the Quality and Outcomes indicator pilots for the Quality and Outcomes Framework will be.

Mike O'Brien: Details of the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) indicator pilots are set out in the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence's (NICE'S) interim process guide for the development of QOF indicators. This guide has been published on the NICE website and a copy placed in the Library.

Quality and Outcomes Framework

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for which diseases pilot indicator studies will be conducted for inclusion in the 2011-12 Quality and Outcomes Framework .

Mike O'Brien: The National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence have published details of indicators currently in development and for further review on their website. A copy has been placed in the Library.

Quality and Outcomes Framework

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what mechanism exists for stakeholders to  (a) contribute ideas for the expansion of or an amendment to Quality and Outcomes Framework indicators and  (b) suggest new areas for pilot indicator development.

Mike O'Brien: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence opened an online suggestions facility on 15 September to enable any stakeholder to propose new a topic-or changes to an existing topic-for Quality and Outcomes Framework. The cut-off date for the current round of submissions was 13 October. After this date, there will be a further opportunity to suggest topics in spring 2010.

Slaughterhouses

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average change in veterinary charges in abattoirs has been in each year since 2006-07.

Gillian Merron: The Meat Hygiene Service (MHS) is responsible for official controls in all approved fresh meat establishments in Great Britain to verify that Food Business Operators comply with hygiene and other legislation including animal welfare.
	Total charges to abattoir operators (excluding cutting plants) for official controls carried out by the MHS were:
	
		
			   £ million 
			 2006-07 21.1 
			 2007-08 23.1 
			 2008-09 24.5

Swine Flu

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the chemical composition is of the swine flu vaccine his Department is planning to issue to the NHS.

Gillian Merron: It is the manufacturer's responsibility to provide this information to the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) as part of licensing requirements.
	For the licensed Glaxo Smith Kline vaccine named Pandemrix, the excipient list as listed at EMEA website is as follows:
	 After mixing, 1 dose (0.5 ml) contains:
	Split influenza virus, inactivated, containing antigen(1) equivalent to:
	3.75 micrograms(2)
	A/California/7/2009 (H1N1)v-like strain (X-179A)
	(1) propagated in eggs
	(2) haemagglutinin
	AS03 adjuvant composed of squalene (10.69 milligrams), DL-a-tocopherol (11.86 milligrams) and polysorbate 80 (4.86 milligrams)
	The suspension and emulsion, once mixed, form a multidose vaccine in a vial. The vaccine contains 5 micrograms thiomersal.
	 Suspension vial:
	Polysorbate 80
	Octoxynol 10
	Thiomersal
	Sodium chloride (NaCI)
	Disodium hydrogen phosphate (Na2HP04)
	Potassium dihydrogen phosphate (KH2P04)
	Potassium chloride (KCI)
	Magnesium chloride (MgC12)
	Water for injections
	 Emulsion vial:
	Sodium chloride (NaC1)
	Disodium hydrogen phosphate (Na2HP04)
	Potassium dihydrogen phosphate (KH2P04)
	Potassium chloride (KCI)
	Water for injections
	Whole virion influenza vaccine, inactivated containing antigen of pandemic strain(1):
	A/California/07/2009 (H1N1)v 7.5 micrograms(2 )per 0.5 ml dose
	(1) propagated in Vero cells (continuous cell line of mammalian origin)
	(2) expressed in micrograms haemagglutinin.
	This is a muitidose container.
	Trometamol
	Sodium chloride
	Water for injections
	Polysorbate 80

Swine Flu

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the availability of Tamiflu for dispensing on private prescriptions; and whether the increase in the NHS stockpile of Tamiflu affects this availability.

Gillian Merron: The supply of Tamifiu has been kept under review since the pandemic was declared and only very limited amounts have been available in the supply chain to fulfil private prescriptions. Bulk purchases by the United Kingdom and other Governments globally have meant that, to date, stocks available for supply against private prescriptions have been very limited. However, this situation is being kept under review and we are in regular touch with the manufacturer.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Archives: Internet

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will take steps to ensure that the British Library and other institutions are able to build a digital archive which captures material published on the internet; and if he will make a statement.

Si�n Simon: We are currently considering the Legal Deposit Advisory Panel's recommendations on the Collection and Preservation of UK Online Publications, free of charge and without access Restrictions. We are still awaiting recommendations from the Legal Deposit Advisory Panel on E-journals and other commercial and protected online publications. Policy formulated in response to these recommendations will be published for public consultation. In the event that draft regulations result, they would be subject to affirmative resolution in both Houses.

Churches: Finance

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will bring forward proposals to ensure that grant-making bodies for which his Department has responsibility give preference to those places of worship which donated their bells as a contribution to munitions in the Second World War in awarding grants for the replacement of church bells.

Margaret Hodge: There are no plans to influence grant-giving policy in the way that is suggested. However, the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme makes grants equivalent to the VAT incurred in making repairs to places of worship that are listed buildings. Eligible works include repairs to bells, their ringing mechanisms and bell frames. Replacement of bells would only be considered under the scheme where they are damaged beyond economic repair. Another source of funding is the Heritage Lottery Fund that has awarded a total of £12,148,814 to 237 projects that have involved the repair, conservation and restoration of church bells and bell-frames throughout the UK.

Circuses: Licensing

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport with reference to his response to the Culture, Media and Sport Committee report on the Licensing Act 2003, if he will set a timetable for the introduction of portable licences for circuses; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: As the Government's response to the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee suggested, we are currently looking at options for a portable licence for travelling entertainment such as circuses. Once we have developed these further, we will announce a timetable for progressing our proposals, including any necessary public consultation. In the meantime, I would be happy to meet the hon. Member to discuss how we can ensure that the views of circuses are fed into the development of these options.

Departmental Consultants

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport with reference to page 33 of his Department's Corporate Plan 2008, how many  (a) policy and  (b) expert advisers who are not special advisers are employed by his Department.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 9 September 2009
	In addition to the 43 policy/senior advisers employed by DCMS the Department currently employs the equivalent of 1.3 (one at 0.8 and one at 0.5 hours) expert advisers on secondment from other organisations. 0.5 is shared with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

Departmental Dismissal

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many staff have  (a) been dismissed and  (b) had their contract terminated by his Department in each of the last five years; what the reason for such action was in each case; and what the severance costs in relation to (i) dismissal and (ii) contract termination were in each such year.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The information is as follows:
	
		
			   Number of dismissals  Number of termination of contracts  Estimated severance cost( 1 ) (£) 
			 2004-05 2 0 7,738.98 
			 2005-06 0 0 - 
			 2006-07 2 0 50,385.59 
			 2007-08 0 0 - 
			 2008-09 0 0 - 
			 (1 )The exact severance costs are held in Departmental offsite archives. Recalling this information can be provided only at disproportionate cost.  Note: The information is obtained from the Department's central electronic database. Due to the lower number of dismissals, it is inappropriate for detailed reasons to be provided. The Data Protection Act 1998 requires these data to be treated on confidence.

Departmental Flexible Working

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what flexi-time arrangements were available to staff of his Department in each of the last five years; and how many staff participated in such arrangements in each such year.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Staff in DCMS are actively encouraged to work alternative working patterns, including part-time working, job-sharing and working from home. These are mainly arranged at local line management level and the Department does not hold comprehensive data centrally about the percentages of staff involved. DCMS have, recently, installed a new Human Resources Information System (Oracle), which will record this information.

Departmental Information and Communications Technology

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what IT systems have been in development for use within his Department in the last five years; what the reason for the development of each system was; how much has been spent on the development of each system; and which systems have been subsequently  (a) implemented,  (b) terminated prior to implementation and  (c) terminated following implementation.

Gerry Sutcliffe: My Department has developed the following IT systems:
	
		
			  System  Purpose  Cost (£) 
			 Livelink Electronic document and records management 2,469,198 
			 FoI/CMS The management of Freedom of Information cases and general correspondence 467,654 
			 User Account Request Provide electronic requests for IS services with approval workflows 24,196 
			 Enterprise Search Provide an integrated search across all DCMS internal data. 72,396 
			 Nakisa Staff Directory 50,330 
			 Secure Sharepoint To provide a method of collaborating securely with third parties such as NDPBs and delivery partners up to restricted level. 533,851 
			 CIBU Wiki Information sharing for briefing and correspondence 212,485 
		
	
	All have been implemented except Secure Sharepoint which is in the final stages of development. None have been terminated.
	This answer does not include systems that are procured as a service such as the accounting and HR services.

Departmental Logos

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport for what reasons his Department has adopted a logo.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The DCMS logo is part of a wider visual identity that was adopted following the Department's name change in July 1997. The logo was refreshed in April 2006 in order to better explain the work of the Department to the public as well as improve the consistency and distinctiveness of DCMS communications.

Departmental Manpower

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of the average length of employment of staff of his Department at each Civil Service payband.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The table shows the average length of employment of DCMS staff at each civil service payband-time in grade at DCMS only, excluding previous departmental experience.
	
		
			  Grade  Average length of employment/years 
			  DCMS  Civil service  
			 A Grade7 7 
			 A(U) Grade 6 7.5 
			 B HEO/SEO/HEOD 6.5 
			 C EO 7 
			 D AA/AO 8 
			 SCSI SCSI 7.5 
			 SCS2 SCS2 4.5 
			 SCS3 SCS3 9 
			 Grand total  7

Departmental Manpower

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many staff there were in  (a) his Department's predecessor in 1997 and  (b) his Department on the latest date for which figures are available.

Gerry Sutcliffe: According to the published civil service statistics for 1997, the Department (then called the Department for National Heritage) had 1,004 full-time equivalent staff (44 industrial and 960 non industrial) and of these 666 were in executive agencies (at the time Historic Royal Palaces and the Royal Parks).
	There have been some structural changes in the Department since then and the Department lost the Football Licensing Authority and Gambling Commission; and created the Government Olympic Executive (GOE) to oversee the whole Olympic programme in 2006.
	Currently the number of full-time equivalent staff as of 30 September 2009 is as follows.
	DCMS: 457
	The Royal Parks Executive Agency: 105

Departmental Motor Vehicles

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much his Department spent on hire vehicles in each of the last five financial years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Department has spent the following amounts on hire vehicles in each of the last four years:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2005-06 13,947.79 
			 2006-07 16,094.75 
			 2007-08 17,054.99 
			 2008-09 10,823.38 
		
	
	Unfortunately we are unable to provide data for 2004-05 as this information is not held on our financial system.

Departmental Paternity Leave

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many staff took paternity leave from his Department in each of the last five years; and what the average duration of such leave was in each such year.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The information requested is as follows:
	
		
			   Number of employees  Average length of leave (days)  Total number of days 
			 2008-09 2 11 21 
			 2007-08 5 10.2 51 
			 2006-07 0 0 0 
			 2005-06 0 0 0 
			 2004-05 0 0 0

Departmental Pay

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what employee reward schemes are offered to staff of his Department; what the purpose of each scheme is; how many staff participate in each scheme; and what the cost of operating each scheme was in each of the last five years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport offers two such schemes:  (a) special bonuses to reward outstanding contributions in particularly demanding tasks or situations, and  (b) consistent with the general civil service principles of performance-related pay, to reward highly successful performance over a whole year. All permanent employees of the Department are eligible to receive either, subject to meeting the performance criteria. The costs of running this scheme for the past five years are set out as follows:
	
		
			  Special bonuses 
			   Total cost (£) 
			 2009-10 (1)21,800 
			 2008-09 60,855 
			 2007-08 87,000 
			 2006-07 69,565 
			 2005-06 57,141 
			 (1) Year to date 
		
	
	
		
			  Performance bonuses 
			   Total cost (£) 
			 2009-10 452,889 
			 2008-09 373,064 
			 2007-08 477,100 
			 2006-07 413,160 
			 2005-06 293,241

Departmental Recycling

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what proportion of his Department's waste was recycled in the latest period for which figures are available.

Gerry Sutcliffe: A total of 48.2 per cent. of the Department's waste was recycled in the 2007-08 financial year.

Departmental Sick Leave

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many sick days were taken by staff of his Department in each of the last five years; and what the cost to the public purse of such absences was in each such year.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The information is as follows.
	The total cost of absence is based on the calculation made by the Department's payroll provider and it does not include the expense of covering absence with temporary staff or overtime.
	
		
			   Total number of working days lost  Cost of absence (£) 
			 2004-05 1,577 206,542 
			 2005-06 1,556 248,762 
			 2006-07 1,449 242,210 
			 2007-08 1,315 238,693 
			 2008-09 1,679 298,862 
			 Total 7,576 1,235,069

Departmental Training

John Mason: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many external training courses were attended by staff of his Department in the last 12 months; and what the cost was of each course.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The number of external training courses attended by staff totals 180. The total cost of external training over the last 12 months was £216,274.91. The cost for each session is set out in the following table.
	
		
			   Cost (£) 
			  2008  
			 July (Courses = 13) 331.67 
			  200 
			  850 
			  428 
			  2,600 
			  331.67 
			  331.67 
			  1,350 
			  2,300 
			  2,250 
			  345 
			  895 
			  310 
			   
			 August (Courses = 9) 300 
			  899 
			  1,500 
			  1,470 
			  1,100 
			  160 
			  2,250 
			  480 
			  480 
			   
			 September (Courses = 15) 2,100 
			  1,470 
			  1,470 
			  2,200 
			  4,500 
			  315 
			  1,750 
			  2,000 
			  230 
			  1,360 
			  2,000 
			  850 
			  300 
			  283 
			  275 
			   
			 October (Courses = 22) 761.7 
			  480 
			  495 
			  76.5 
			  795 
			  499 
			  1,220 
			  365 
			  905 
			  1,350 
			  365 
			  783.75 
			  488.55 
			  1,500 
			  1,755 
			  1,150 
			  1,940 
			  550 
			  1,940 
			  480 
			  1,395 
			  1,259.1 
			   
			 November (Courses = 23) 765 
			  1,775 
			  2,500 
			  1,365 
			  430 
			  315 
			  85 
			  1,100 
			  1,250 
			  1,360 
			  775 
			  1,799 
			  2,300 
			  108 
			  400.5 
			  227 
			  801 
			  245 
			  480 
			  480 
			  480 
			  480 
			  300 
			   
			 December (Courses = 16) 760 
			  315 
			  1,500 
			  630 
			  1,100 
			  2,500 
			  1,550 
			  1,360 
			  940 
			  10,000 
			  2,250 
			  2,500 
			  1,550 
			  395 
			  340 
			  650 
			   
			  2009  
			 January (Courses = 12) 1,000 
			  170 
			  300 
			  480 
			  845 
			  1,100 
			  1,210 
			  315 
			  1,590 
			  395 
			  3,000 
			  3,000 
			   
			   
			 February (Courses = 16) 6,500 
			  872.1 
			  872.1 
			  967 
			  967 
			  1,365 
			  315 
			  2,250 
			  890 
			  1,585 
			  1,440 
			  1,695 
			  700 
			  395 
			  395 
			  395 
			   
			 March (Courses = 20) 480 
			  1,490 
			  1,600 
			  235 
			  935 
			  755 
			  1,760 
			  1,365 
			  1,470 
			  2,500 
			  1,799 
			  430 
			  430 
			  480 
			  480 
			  480 
			  4,250 
			  100 
			  494.1 
			  967 
			   
			 April (Courses = 10) 140 
			  140 
			  700 
			  1,470 
			  1,460 
			  630 
			  480 
			  1,500 
			  480 
			  480 
			   
			 May (Courses = 14) 999 
			  140 
			  2,500 
			  3,660 
			  665 
			  1,600 
			  630 
			  990 
			  2,275 
			  1,620 
			  1,550 
			  1,500 
			  1,290 
			  805 
			   
			 June (Courses = 10) 430 
			  1,350 
			  920 
			  2,500 
			  10,500 
			  1,111.5 
			  1,998 
			  230 
			  855 
			  189

Digital Broadcasting

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many households have been affected by the loss of ITV3 and ITV4 following the digital television re-tune of 30 September 2009; and who took the decision to remove ITV3 and ITV4 from the areas so affected.

Ben Bradshaw: We believe that up to 1 million households could have been affected by the loss of ITV3 and ITV4 after the digital television re-tune. In some cases the services will be restored at digital switchover.
	The decision to move one ITV service was approved as part of The Television Multiplex Services (Reservation of Digital Capacity) Order 2008, which paved the way for new services, including up to four High Definition services, on Freeview. ITV plc decided which channel to move to meet this requirement. The company also decided for commercial reasons to move another ITV channel to make way for other future channel developments as part of the re-tune process.

Digital Broadcasting

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what proportion of licence fee receipts has been used to facilitate digital switchover; what proportion of the digital switchover help scheme budget remains unspent; and if his Department will make an assessment of the merits of using money from that scheme to upgrade relay transmitters.

Ben Bradshaw: £803 million was set aside in the 2007-13 TV licence fee settlement to facilitate digital switchover. We expect there to be an under-spend on the £603 million provided for the Digital Switchover Help Scheme but it is too early to estimate the level of under-spend with any precision. However, as set out in the Digital Britain White Paper, a number of ways the under-spend might be redeployed have been identified. These include contributing to the roll-out of universal broadband; the maintenance of plurality of news in the nations, locally and in the regions; and the roll out of Digital Audio Broadcasting. There are no plans to use the under-spend to increase the coverage of the three commercial digital terrestrial television multiplexes.
	There is a licence requirement that the three Public Service Broadcasting (PSB) digital multiplexes, which carry the public service broadcasting channels, should reach 98.5 per cent. of UK households after Digital Switchover. Since the national re-tune, ITV3 and ITV4, which are not PSB channels, have been carried on commercial multiplexes where the licence post-Switchover requirement is that 90 per cent. of household coverage is achieved. Any decision to build out beyond 90 per cent. coverage would be a commercial decision for the multiplex operators.

Digital Broadcasting

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport for what reasons the digital television re-tune of 30 September 2009 resulted in the loss of channels ITV3 and ITV4 by many viewers in the UK.

Ben Bradshaw: The digital re-tune was undertaken by broadcasters to facilitate the move of Five to a Public Service Broadcasting multiplex and to make way for future channel developments, including the introduction of High Definition services on the digital terrestrial television (or Freeview) platform.

Digital Broadcasting

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether his Department was informed of the loss of ITV3 and ITV4 to many television viewers by  (a) Freeview and  (b) ITV prior to the digital television re-tune of 30 September 2009.

Ben Bradshaw: The Television Multiplex Services (Reservation of Digital Capacity) Order 2008 required the transfer of one non-public service channel operated by Channel 3 license holders from a public service broadcasting (PSB) multiplex to a commercial multiplex. The aim of this measure was to facilitate the transfer of Five, a PSB channel, to a PSB multiplex in order to ensure universal coverage of Five , equivalent to the other public service channels at switchover, as well as further developments of the digital terrestrial television platform, including the introduction of high definition services.
	I was also informed that ITV intended to move another ITV service to one of the commercial multiplexes, which have more restricted coverage, to make way for future channel developments. The decision on which channels to move was a commercial matter for ITV plc.

Digital Technology: Legal Deposit

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether he plans to introduce regulations to permit or require delivery of publications to legal deposit libraries by electronic means under the Legal Deposit Libraries Act 2003.

Ben Bradshaw: The Legal Deposit Libraries Act 2003 allows for regulations to be made to widen the existing system of legal deposit to cover non-print publications. We are currently considering the Legal Deposit Advisory Panel's recommendations on the Collection and Preservation of UK Offline and Microforms Publications and the Collection and Preservation of UK Online Publications, free of charge and without access Restrictions. Policy formulated in response to these recommendations will be published for public consultation in due course. In the event that draft regulations result, they would be subject to affirmative resolution in both Houses.

Freeview Service

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what statutory obligations apply to Freeview to ensure that all national free-to-air broadcasts from free-to-air broadcasters are equally available to all licence fee payers.

Ben Bradshaw: There are no such statutory obligations. The Communications Act 2003 requires that the coverage of the digital terrestrial television multiplexes carrying the public service channels(1) should substantially match the coverage of the comparable analogue services, which is estimated to be 98.5 per cent. of UK households. Ofcom has included this condition in broadcasters' digital replacement licences and multiplex licences.
	(1) All BBC channels, ITV1, Channel Four (main channel only), Five (main channel only) and S4C.

Horse Racing: Betting

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps his Department is taking to assist the Horserace Betting Levy Board to collect Levy payments arising from bets placed with betting operators registered overseas.

Gerry Sutcliffe: We support the Levy Board's aim of securing contributions from gambling operators to ensure the continued health of racing.
	The Department is currently conducting a review of remote gaming, which is examining this issue along with others. The review will report to Ministers by the end of the year, and Ministers will report findings to Parliament.

Publications: Sight Impairment

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what guidance his Department provides to public libraries on the proportion of books which should be made available for people with visual impairments; and if he will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: Decisions on stock purchasing remain with local library authorities and there are no national guidelines for the proportion of stock which should be held in accessible formats in individual libraries. However, public libraries recognise the special needs of visually impaired people in obtaining various suitable formats including large print books and spoken word material. The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy Public Library Statistics 2007-08 show 7,557,494 adult and 1,692,573 children's talking books issued on loan. Public libraries will also often refer visually impaired people to the RNIB National Library Service where a wide variety of book formats are available, including Braille titles.

Sports: Cambridgeshire

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much funding his Department allocated to sport-related groups in North West Cambridgeshire in each of the last 10 years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Sport England have advised that they are unable to detail Exchequer funding for sport-related groups in North West Cambridgeshire as these type of data are not collated on a constituency basis.
	The Department for Culture, Media and Sport allocated Sport England over £480 million of Exchequer funding in the last five years, to invest in community sport both through national governing bodies and more specific local initiatives.
	In addition, in 2009-10, the Department has allocated Sport England £135.7 million of Exchequer funding. Sport England has targets to get one million people doing more sport by 2012-13, and to make a major contribution to the delivery of the five hour sports offer for children and young people. North West Cambridgeshire will benefit, alongside every area of England, from Exchequer and lottery investment by Sport England in 2009-10 in support of these targets.
	Although non-departmental funding, Sport England have advised that the following initiatives have received lottery funding to support participation in sport in North West Cambridgeshire in each of the last financial years.
	Projects relating to 'Living Sport' are delivered through the County Sports Partnership, and as a result this funding will have been spent across all of Cambridgeshire.
	
		
			  Award date  Parliamentary constituency  Recipient  Project description  Total award (£) 
			 20 October 1999 Cambridgeshire North West Peterborough Area Canoeists and Kayakers Club Award will enable members to go on essential coaching and safety courses they will then use the skills and qualifications acquired to provide training in canoeing to other clubs and non sporting organisations. 4,875 
			  
			 15 February 1999 Cambridgeshire North West Castor and Ailsworth Tennis Club Land purchase and construction of new court and clubhouse 44,570 
			  
			 19 October 2000 Cambridgeshire North West Yaxley Wanderers Participation is paramount to this group and grant will enable children of all abilities to enjoy league football particularly those denied opportunities elsewhere in the locality. 811 
			  
			 29 August 2000 Cambridgeshire North West Peterborough Area Combined Triathlon Club This project aims to raise the profile of the group and the sport of triathlon to help establish develop membership and skill levels at the club. 4,999 
			  
			 29 August 2000 Cambridgeshire North West East Midlands Rugby Union Referees Society This group provides training and development for referees in Northamptonshire and Bedfordshire. The award is for a laptop pc and 10 copies of MS office. 1,580 
			  
			 14 June 2000 Cambridgeshire North West Corby Rugby Football Club This rugby club would like equipment to provide and promote a mini and junior team. The award is for a rucking sled, 20 junior rugby balls, 4 tackle bags, 3 body suits, 3 contact pads, a storage container and a training cd. 4,022 
			  
			 17 September 2001 Cambridgeshire North West Upwood Cricket Club Club uses award to develop and encourage children and young people to participate in village cricket and coaching with the provision of an artificial cricket wicket. 2,000 
			  
			 8 June 2001 Cambridgeshire North West Shia Sports The award provides a festival of sport on 21/22 July inc. swimming, netball, football and badminton for women and girls from local ethnic communities. 2,772 
			  
			 28 March 2001 Cambridgeshire North West Orton Longueville School The award will enable this school to provide a lunch-time and after school club to introduce rowing to young people and to open up rowing to all sections of the community. 3,878 
			  
			 20 March 2002 Cambridgeshire North West Stanground College To provide opportunities for young people to be introduced to rowing both in lunchtimes and after school to develop physical fitness and new skills. 4,289 
			  
			 20 March 2002 Cambridgeshire North West St Ivo Racquets Club To further increase capacity with additional coaching and practice facilities and to develop squash and tennis opportunities in the area with club/school links and other initiatives. 4,845 
			  
			 20 March 2002 Cambridgeshire North West Stanground St. John's Primary School An after-school athletics club to promote good practice and develop physical education activities in association with the secondary school. 521 
			  
			 20 March 2002 Cambridgeshire North West Ormiston Children and Families Trust Extending sporting opportunities to more children and families in the community with the provision of start-up costs and equipment for a new sports club. 4,346 
			  
			 20 March 2002 Cambridgeshire North West Peterborough Athletic Club To extend athletics opportunities 4,700 
			  
			 10 April 2002 Cambridgeshire North West Sawtry Ladies Hockey Club To encourage new members to this small rural hockey club by distributing leaflets to all homes in the area and the local secondary schools and providing essential training and kit. 1,028 
			 30 October 2006 Cambridgeshire North West Living Sport Community Sports Coach Scheme 17,998 
			  
			 30 October 2006 Cambridgeshire North West Living Sport Living Sport Year 1 delivery Plan 149,250 
			  
			 16 August 2006 Cambridgeshire North West Living Sport County Sports Partnership Business Plan 382,832 
			  
			 30 April 2007 Cambridgeshire North West Living Sport Workforce Development Plan 07 160,275 
			  
			 7 May 2008 Cambridgeshire North West Living Sport Workforce Development 2008-09 160,735 
			  
			 17 June 2008 Cambridgeshire North West Living Sport County Sports Partnership Annual Development Plan -2008-09 140,000 
			  
			 12 December 2008 Cambridgeshire North West Living Sport Community Sports Coaching Scheme 18,323 
			 Total1,685,001

Sports: Energy

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many sports buildings which receive funding from his Department use heat generated by  (a) solar panels and  (b) ground source heat pumps.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Department primarily channels its sports funding through two main distributors, Sport England and UK Sport.
	Due to the widespread nature of the estates covered by these two bodies it is not possible to provide detail at the level requested without incurring disproportionate cost. DCMS and our NDPBs are keen to ensure that estates are maintained on a sustainable basis.

Sports: Young People

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of the number and proportion of young people who ceased participating in sport after leaving school in the latest period for which figures are available.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 16 September 2009
	Sport England have advised that during the ages of 16 to 19, the period when young people leave school, sport participation(1) drops by 7 percentage points, (or the equivalent of 42,000 participants) from a participation rate of 37.4 per cent. at age 16, to a participation rate of 30.4 per cent. at age 19.
	(1) Participation is defined as the percentage of the adult population participating in at least 30 minutes of sport, of at least moderate intensity, at least three times a week.
	
		
			  Age  Participation rate (percentage)  Number of participants 
			 16 37.41 251,370 
			 17 34.60 230,829 
			 18 31.14 208,625 
			 19 30.40 209,368 
			  Source: Sport England's Active People Survey 2 (Oct 2007-Oct 2008). 
		
	
	To address this, through the Sport Unlimited initiative, Sport England works closely with the Government to deliver the 5 Hour Young People's Sports Offer. Over three years, the programme will enable 900,000 children and young people to take part in 10-week taster sessions in sports and aims to get 300,000 participants to join clubs and continue with sport beyond those sessions. Additionally, one of Sport England's strategic targets is to reduce the drop-off among 16 to 18-year-olds in nine key sports. This target will be measured by the Active People survey and is based on reducing the gap between 16 and 18 year old participation by 25 per cent. The national target is therefore to increase overall participation in the nine drop-off sports among 18-year-olds to 31 per cent.
	The latest 12 month rolling participation figure illustrates that there has been a statistically significant increase in overall participation in the nine drop-off sports among 18-year-olds from 189,100 to 202,500. If this level of overall participation in the nine drop-off sports were maintained until the end of the current strategy period then the participation figures are expected to reach the target of 31 per cent.

Television: Licensing

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the cost of collecting the television licence fee was in each of the last five years.

Ben Bradshaw: Administration and enforcement of the television licensing system are the responsibility of the BBC, which operates independently of Government. The day-to-day administration and enforcement of the licence fee regime is undertaken by TV Licensing, who act as agents for the Corporation.
	I have, therefore, asked the BBC's Head of Revenue Management to consider the question raised by the hon. Member for Bath and to write to him direct.
	Copies of the reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

World Cup

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will discuss with the Football Association the inclusion of  (a) Lilleshall National Sports Academy and  (b) other football training facilities in Shropshire in its bid for the UK to host the 2018 World Cup.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Football Association are leading in the bid for the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups and are following a selection process to make venues available for FIFA to select host cities and training venues. I will ensure that bid officials are aware of Lilleshall's potential.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Agriculture

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the proportion of registered holdings which are farmed by people other than the owner or tenant under  (a) contract farming,  (b) share farming and  (c) other similar arrangements; and what estimate he has made of the equivalent figures (i) five and (ii) 10 years ago.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Recent research (published in 2007) into joint venture farming, including contract farming and share farming(1), indicates that a small minority (3 to 5 per cent.) of farmers in England are involved in a joint venture farming activity-although more informal arrangements are probably more common. The research suggests that share farming is carried out by 1 to 2 per cent. and contract farming by 3 to 4 per cent. of farms in England.
	This research was based on the Farm Business Survey sample in England between 2002 and 2004. The farms represented in the survey account for 95 per cent. of national economic output from farming. No data are available for other similar arrangements, nor for earlier years.
	(1) https://statistics.defra.gov.uk/esg/reports/jvf/ JVF_Research_Project-Final_Report.pdf

Agriculture: Manpower

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many people in each county were employed in agriculture in each of the last 10 years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The number of employees working on agricultural and horticultural holdings in each county in England for 1999 to 2008 can be found in the table. Employees are defined as salaried managers, full-time, part-time and casual workers working on the holding on 1 June each year.
	
		
			   1999( 1)  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008 
			 Hartlepool and Stockton-on-Tees 186 154 167 167 146 144 122 119 126 133 
			 South Teesside 201 179 183 183 187 198 204 180 197 210 
			 Darlington 165 132 131 131 (2)- 120 121 110 102 107 
			 Durham CC 1,211 1,060 978 978 888 923 869 845 831 901 
			 Northumberland 2,560 2,184 2,211 2,211 2,056 1,847 1,879 1,775 1,712 1,744 
			 Tyneside 195 209 194 194 176 185 154 145 138 150 
			 Sunderland 66 80 87 87 (2)- 90 91 83 43 43 
			 West Cumbria 1,239 1,109 1,077 1,077 944 1,018 1,079 1,052 1,046 1,100 
			 East Cumbria 2,808 2,395 2,090 2,090 1,956 2,035 2,075 2,004 2,059 2,116 
			 Halton and Warrington 253 280 288 288 281 303 341 199 197 214 
			 Cheshire CC 3,936 3,455 3,142 3,142 2,888 3,002 3,039 2,786 2,853 2,959 
			 Greater Manchester South 463 424 436 (2)- 394 382 305 317 312 315 
			 Greater Manchester North 566 416 442 442 367 400 387 410 357 360 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 84 65 66 66 (2)- 63 60 51 60 71 
			 Blackpool 140 27 31 31 (2)- (2)- 19 13 13 (2)- 
			 Lancashire CC 5,791 5,456 4,830 4,830 4,290 4,455 4,427 4,442 4,407 4,382 
			 East Merseyside 335 183 211 211 204 230 194 274 248 301 
			 Liverpool 70 74 84 (2)- 74 81 (2)- 81 80 78 
			 Sefton 177 138 146 146 139 149 154 181 176 175 
			 Wirral 134 107 113 113 (2)- 123 (2)- 92 94 100 
			 Kingston upon Hull, City of (2)- (2)- (2)- (2)- (2)- (2)- (2)- 9 (2)- 12 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 4,659 3,926 3,709 3,709 (2)- 3,610 3,446 3,359 2,991 3,022 
			 North and North East Lincolnshire 1,128 1,040 950 950 895 982 926 791 773 794 
			 York 272 283 255 255 (2)- 220 (2)- 215 194 224 
			 North Yorkshire CC 7,616 6,415 6,173 6,173 5,733 6,071 5,893 5,692 5,861 6,076 
			 Barnsley, Doncaster and Rotherham 1,092 904 871 871 785 801 759 766 703 768 
			 Sheffield 186 171 167 167 139 155 165 154 167 187 
			 Bradford 302 243 258 258 216 221 228 225 229 245 
			 Leeds 644 637 631 631 540 596 539 521 562 559 
			 Calderdale, Kirklees and Wakefield 1,046 881 821 821 726 782 752 800 722 783 
			 Derby 31 20 20 20 19 19 22 27 20 10 
			 East Derbyshire 530 431 410 410 351 369 350 346 371 422 
			 South and West Derbyshire 2,135 1,794 1,464 1,464 1,350 1,441 1,452 1,399 1,434 1,523 
			 Nottingham (2)- (2)- (2)- (2)- (2)- (2)- (2)- (2)- (2)- (2)- 
			 North Nottinghamshire 1,825 1,587 1,609 1,609 1,584 1,685 1,763 1,501 1,455 1,558 
			 South Nottinghamshire 846 759 835 (2)- 773 828 811 751 622 652 
			 Leicester (2)- (2)- (2)- (2)- (2)- 34 29 12 (2)- (2)- 
			 Leicestershire CC and Rutland 2,716 2,513 2,279 2,279 2,238 2,290 2,316 2,256 2,285 2,349 
			 Northamptonshire 1,883 1,717 1,594 1,594 1,447 1,514 1,446 1,529 1,635 1,658 
			 Lincolnshire 11,108 10,079 9,163 9,163 8,755 8,749 8,844 8,288 7,886 7,933 
			 Herefordshire, County of 3,990 3,783 3,578 3,578 (2)- 3,807 (2)- 5,279 5,902 5,896 
			 Worcestershire 4,171 3,700 3,198 3,198 3,074 3,405 3,169 3,058 2,945 3,116 
			 Warwickshire 2,899 2,741 3,041 3,041 2,881 3,126 2,962 2,679 2,247 2,304 
			 Telford and Wrekin 459 396 342 342 320 328 314 293 284 304 
			 Shropshire CC 3,881 3,480 3,218 3,218 3,024 3,174 3,412 3,368 3,092 3,233 
			 Stoke-on-Trent 14 12 20 20 (2)- 18 (2)- 14 11 12 
			 Staffordshire CC 3,943 3,414 3,277 3,277 2,654 2,767 3,015 2,938 3,096 3,324 
			 Birmingham 32 19 19 19 24 36 91 46 39 51 
			 Solihull 205 148 137 137 (2)- 130 (2)- 111 115 117 
			 Coventry 62 57 43 43 (2)- 42 (2)- 36 43 49 
			 Dudley and Sandwell 45 48 58 58 54 57 64 44 35 44 
			 Walsall and Wolverhampton 85 85 65 65 61 67 66 55 62 64 
			 Peterborough 349 261 274 274 258 266 266 258 245 247 
			 Cambridgeshire CC 4,832 4,344 4,329 4,329 3,833 4,335 4,583 4,540 4,301 4,676 
			 Norfolk 9,781 8,560 8,325 8,325 7,776 8,111 7,393 6,539 7,000 7,441 
			 Suffolk 6,532 5,715 5,157 5,157 4,712 4,982 4,986 4,715 4,449 4,416 
			 Luton (2)- (2)- (2)- (2)- (2)- (2)- (2)- (2)- (2)- (2)- 
			 Bedfordshire CC 1,380 1,203 1,339 1,339 930 1,002 1,015 835 860 898 
			 Hertfordshire 1,761 1,564 1,638 1,638 1,343 1,391 1,286 1,237 1,314 1,265 
			 Southend-on-Sea (2)- (2)- (2)- (2)- 0 0 0 (2)- 0 0 
			 Thurrock 129 106 116 116 (2)- 93 (2)- 86 79 112 
			 Essex CC 6,065 5,248 5,104 5,104 4,705 4,740 4,708 4,633 4,519 4,887 
			 Inner London-West 0 0 (2)- (2)- (2)- (2)- (2)- (2)- (2)- (2)- 
			 Inner London-East (2)- (2)- (2)- (2)- (2)- 61 (2)- 51 50 57 
			 Outer London-East and North East 315 297 281 281 246 290 294 266 274 235 
			 Outer London-South 347 339 345 345 275 203 206 212 212 195 
			 Outer London-West and North West 154 134 120 120 114 118 109 97 98 101 
			 Berkshire 1,148 945 1,125 1,125 1,146 1,267 1,338 1,294 1,592 1,642 
			 Milton Keynes 188 155 160 160 (2)- 158 145 155 134 136 
			 Buckinghamshire CC 1,727 1,424 1,279 1,279 1,146 1,267 1,301 1,155 1,210 1,267 
			 Oxfordshire 2,666 2,172 2,125 2,125 1,903 2,041 2,003 1,934 1,924 1,958 
			 Brighton and Hove 82 72 65 (2)- 60 62 (2)- 44 38 41 
			 East Sussex CC 2,291 1,798 1,843 1,843 1,714 1,766 1,747 1,683 1,630 1,769 
			 Surrey 2,998 2,555 2,414 2,414 2,109 2,317 2,286 2,318 2,212 2,053 
			 West Sussex 5,394 4,633 4,660 4,660 4,351 4,488 4,622 4,494 4,422 4,075 
			 Portsmouth (2)- 0 (2)- (2)- (2)- (2)- (2)- 0 0 0 
			 Southampton (2)- (2)- (2)- (2)- (2)- (2)- (2)- (2)- (2)- (2)- 
			 Hampshire CC 5,572 4,471 4,488 4,488 4,343 4,677 4,461 4,196 4,233 4,310 
			 Isle of Wight 865 812 627 (2)- 916 897 870 824 345 1,070 
			 Medway 410 319 356 356 334 311 (2)- 527 463 615 
			 Kent CC 11,492 9,675 10,103 10,103 9,204 10,215 9,814 10,553 9,456 10,350 
			 Bristol, City of 31 54 76 76 50 56 53 30 35 62 
			 North and N E Somerset, South Glos 2,203 1,932 1,364 1,364 1,221 1,263 1,258 1,199 1,147 1,150 
			 Gloucestershire 3,416 2,919 2,918 2,918 2,704 2,891 2,832 2,833 2,594 2,598 
			 Swindon 176 160 149 149 (2)- 120 (2)- 118 121 116 
			 Wiltshire CC 3,244 2,853 2,675 2,675 2,413 2,520 2,556 2,441 2,467 2,623 
			 Bournemouth and Poole 53 40 34 34 30 35 35 19 18 14 
			 Dorset CC 3,508 3,023 2,808 2,808 2,815 3,080 3,082 2,825 2,717 2,822 
			 Somerset 5,277 4,690 4,343 4,343 3,886 4,216 4,235 4,047 3,849 4,013 
			 Cornwall and Isles of Scilly 5,204 5,004 4,323 4,323 4,010 4,350 3,924 3,827 3,724 4,534 
			 Plymouth 100 (2)- (2)- (2)- (2)- (2)- (2)- 12 (2)- (2)- 
			 Torbay 27 25 16 16 (2)- 12 17 27 20 31 
			 Devon CC 7,451 6,355 6,353 6,353 5,884 6,302 6,179 5,452 5,417 6,011 
			 England 175,656 153,357 146,585 146,585 135,293 143,059 141,868 137,252 134,057 140,605 
			 (1) Data prior to 2000 refers to main holdings only. From 2000 onwards all holdings are included. (2) Suppressed to prevent disclosure of information about individual holdings.  Note: Employees are salaried managers, full-time, part-time and casual workers, (paid and unpaid).  Source: June Agricultural Survey

Badgers

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will publish the research on badger perturbation produced by the Woodchester Project.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Food and Environment Research Agency's Woodchester Park team has published over 100 papers on the relationship between badger biology and bovine TB dynamics. Research on the perturbation of badger populations, including work on the relationship between badger movement and TB dynamics at Woodchester Park, has been peer-reviewed and published in the following recent scientific papers:
	Carter S, Delahay R, Smith G, Macdonald D, Riordan P, Etherington T, Pimley E, Cheeseman C (2007) Culling-induced social perturbation in Eurasian badgers Meles meles and the management of TB in cattle: an analysis of a critical problem in applied ecology. Proceedings of the Royal Society B (Biological Sciences) 274, 2769-2777.
	Vicente J, Delahay R, Walker N, Cheeseman C (2007) Social organisation and movement influence the incidence of bovine tuberculosis in an undisturbed high density badger (Meles meles) population. Journal of Animal Ecology 76, 348-360.
	McDonald RA, Delahay RJ, Carter SP, Smith GC, Cheeseman CL (2008) Perturbing implications of wildlife ecology for disease control. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 23, 53-56.
	Further detail of the DEFRA funded Woodchester Park project (SE3032 The long term intensive ecological and epidemiological investigation of a badger population naturally infected with Mycobacterium bovis) is available on the DEFRA website.

Beef: Brazil

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much beef was imported from Brazil in  (a) May,  (b) June,  (c) July and  (d) August in each year since 2005.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The following table shows the amount of beef imported from Brazil in May, June, July and August in each year since 2005.
	
		
			  Month and year  Total number of consignments  Total quantity (kilos) 
			 May 2005 6 69,034 
			 June 2005 11 157,602 
			 July 2005 6 132,157 
			 August 2005 5 101,854 
			
			 May 2006 232 3,244,413 
			 June 2006 238 6,137,593 
			 July 2006 166 2,599,620 
			 August 2006 156 3,836,404 
			
			 May 2007 193 3,120,213 
			 Jun 2007 189 3,129,371 
			 July 2007 108 1,510,158 
			 August 2007 117 1,668,119 
			
			 May 2008 6 45,529 
			 June 2008 8 99,549 
			 July 2008 0 0 
			 August 2008 4 6,812 
			
			 May 2009 7 81,629 
			 June 2009 26 143,413 
			 July 2009 3 35,101 
			 August 2009 13 764,575 
			  Note: Information obtained from TRACES.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Hertfordshire

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many farms in  (a) Hemel Hempstead constituency,  (b) Dacorum and  (c) Hertfordshire were under bovine tuberculosis restrictions on the latest date for which figures are available.

Jim Fitzpatrick: TB statistics are available currently at county and regional level. On 30 June 2009 the number of herds under restriction in Hertfordshire was 13, with one new unconfirmed TB incident. It should be noted that herds under restriction on 30 June will include herds under restriction due to overdue TB tests.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Vaccination

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs who his Department plans to contract to undertake the vaccination of badgers in the forthcoming bovine TB project; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Contractors to undertake the vaccination of badgers for the Badger Vaccine Deployment Project will be recruited through an EU tender run by the Food and Environment Research Agency (Fera). This is currently underway and will run until April 2010.
	Fera will train the recruited contractors to trap and vaccinate badgers as part of the licensing and accreditation process.

Departmental Communication

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many staff in  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies are classified as (i) communicators and (ii) have access to the Government Communication Network.

Dan Norris: There are currently 67 staff in the Communications Career Home within core DEFRA including individuals outside the Communications Directorate.
	All UK civil servants can access the Government Communication Network (GCN) to view and receive e-mail alerts for job vacancies but they must be working as a communicator to register as a member and access networking areas of the site.
	Information on Communicators in DEFRA Executive Agencies and NDPB's is not held centrally at present. However, these data are likely to become available over the next few months.

Departmental Electronic Equipment

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 9 December 2008,  Official Report, column 38W, on departmental electronic equipment, how much  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies have spent on (i) flat screen televisions, (ii) DVD players and (iii) stereo equipment since December 2008.

Dan Norris: The core-Department's financial system records expenditure of £18,024 on flat screen televisions since December 2008. No expenditure is recorded for DVD players and stereo equipment. Expenditure on electronic equipment by DEFRA's agencies is not recorded centrally outside of the core-Department's financial system and the information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Energy

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department is taking to promote energy efficiency in its operations.

Dan Norris: We are taking the following steps to maximise our energy efficiency:
	Interactive building management systems (BMS) linked to visual displays, informing staff of energy efficiency within the building and other sustainability indicators, e.g. CO2 emissions, water use, waste and recycling.
	Adoption of the Carbon Trust Standard and Energy Efficiency Accreditation Scheme (EEAS)-both of these measure actual performance in terms of CO2 output.
	Sustainability Champions have been appointed as part of the new Sustainable Workplace Management contract. They will work within each site to monitor energy use, identify and implement efficiency measures and report progress towards site energy targets on a quarterly basis.
	This is supported by an ongoing programme of installation of energy efficient technologies. Initiatives which have already been implemented include: voltage regulation technologies, energy efficiency lighting, insulation and draught proofing, biomass, combined heat and power plants and automatic metering (AMR) of utilities. Thermal imaging surveys have also been undertaken at a number of sites, the survey results will form a programme of works to improve the thermal efficiency of the buildings.

Departmental ICT

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what IT systems have been in development for use within his Department in the last five years; what the reason for the development of each system was; how much has been spent on the development of each system; and which systems have been subsequently  (a) implemented,  (b) terminated prior to implementation and  (c) terminated following implementation.

Dan Norris: Data on costs of IT systems could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Instead data has been provided for the entire project where IT system development costs are a significant proportion.
	The projects listed are information technology projects in DEFRA that were estimated to cost more than £1 million over the life of the project. Costs listed exclude the day-to-day running costs after the completion of the project. The figures quoted are either the actual cost for completed projects or the latest forecast estimates as at April 2009 for those that are not yet completed. The estimated costs to completion are subject to change and the Department carries out regular reviews of the projects and their associated business cases at key strategic points.
	Projects costing less than £1 million, those being carried out within Executive agencies, projects transferred to the Department for Energy and Climate Change and projects initiated after November 2008 have all been excluded as such data is not held centrally. Collection would incur a disproportionate cost to the Department.
	No projects have been terminated following implementation.
	
		
			  Project  Reason for development  Actual/expected completion date  Status  Actual/estimated costs (£) 
			 Catalyst To provide Electronic Data and Records Management system for DEFRA - Project closed in November 2005. Pilot phase demonstrating that predicted productivity benefits would not be fully realised and costs would be higher than expected and would outweigh the quantified benefits. Further cost to taxpayer avoided estimated at £19 million. 12,600,000 
			 Customer and Land Database (CLAD) To enable a limited set of Rural Payments Agency (RPA) customer and land data sets to be shared securely within the DEFRA delivery body Network March 2010 Ongoing 1,730,000 
			 Customer Information Programme To enable DEFRA to hold improved customer information - Project closed during development phase in June 2007 due to reprioritisation of budget. Project deliverables (valued at £247,000 were reused in CLAD development) 9,920,663 
			 e-Domero Development of an online application for management of plant health-related processes. It is used by plant health and seeds inspectors to record licensed inspections of plants coming into and out of the UK April 2007 Completed 1,000,600 
			 Enabling Technology Programme 2009-10 Annual investment programme in high priority infrastructure and application architecture developments driven by DEFRA Network's business needs March 2010 Ongoing 3,100,000 
			 National Equine Database Joint industry/public sector development of a database to hold data on 'horse passports' for the purpose of monitoring passport compliance and for disease control surveillance December 2006 Completed 1,570,000 
			 Noise Mapping IT system developed to meet requirements of Environmental Noise (England) Regulations 2006 to enable the production of Noise Maps to help production of plans to manage noise issues and effects May 2007 Completed 4,300,000 
			 RADAR (Rapid Analysis and Detection of Animal-related Risks) Development of a data warehouse bringing together information about livestock populations and diseases from many different Government data sources allowing for analysis to be performed in event of a disease outbreak March 2009 Completed 12,228,000 
			 UK Location Programme DEFRA leads the cross-Government UK Location Programme, a joint programme to implement the INSPIRE EU Directive and the UK Location Strategy December 2012 Ongoing 12,800,000 
			 Phoenix IT Project To handle licences for protected species covered by international conventions - Project closed in June 2006 due to reprioritisation of budgets. Further cost to taxpayer avoided estimated at £2.5 million 3,998,807 
			 Renew IT Providing a modern and efficient IT working environment based on refreshed IT services March 2009 Completed 9,000,000 
			 Spatial Information Repository (SPIRE) Supports policy making and operational delivery by providing access to up-to-date geographic information March 2010 Ongoing 14,950,000 
			 Waste Data Strategy Development of a data warehouse that takes data from Environment Agency and DEFRA systems to allow for production of summary and ad-hoc reports/analysis to produce a sound evidence base for improved waste management policy development June 2007 Completed 2,500,000 
			 Web Rationalisation To support the Transformational Government Web Rationalisation Programme March 2011 Ongoing 1,440,000 
			 Whole Farm Approach Current work is centred on providing online access to key transactional systems from various DEFRA agencies via the Whole Farm Approach including single farm payment, environmental stewardship and cattle tracing March 2011 Ongoing 74,000,000

Departmental Recycling

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of his Department's waste was recycled in the latest period for which figures are available.

Dan Norris: The latest available figures show the following percentages of waste were recycled and recovered in 2007-08:
	
		
			   Percentage 
			 Recycled (recycled, composted, reused externally) 29 
			 Recovered (recycled, composted, reused externally, incinerated with energy recovery) 60 
		
	
	It should be noted that DEFRA incinerates approximately 30 per cent. of its waste, from which significant quantity of heat and energy is recovered. Current Sustainable Development Commission reporting does not acknowledge energy recovery from waste incineration as recycling or waste recovery under current Sustainable Operations on the Government Estate (SOGE) guidelines.

Food: Production

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the proportion of food consumed nationwide which was produced domestically in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The following table provides the answer to this question.
	
		
			  Percentage of food produced in the UK which is consumed in the UK 
			   Percentage 
			 1997 58 
			 1998 56 
			 1999 57 
			 2000 56 
			 2001 56 
			 2002 54 
			 2003 53 
			 2004 53 
			 2005 50 
			 2006 49 
			 2007 50 
			 2008 (1)53 
			 (1) Provisional.  Note: This should not be confused with the measure of UK Self-Sufficiency in all Food, which in 2008 was 60 per cent. (provisional figure), since self sufficiency shows the percentage of all UK food production, including UK exports, as a percentage of consumption. Both measures are based on the value of unprocessed food.

Forests

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the area of commercial woodland and forestry in England that is owned by  (a) Forest Enterprise and  (b) private landowners and public limited companies.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The information is not held in that format by the Forestry Commission. The National Inventory of Woodland and Trees published in 2001 included information on ownership type for woodland areas of 2.0 hectares or more. This is given in the following table.
	
		
			  Ownership type  Area (hectares) 
			 Personal 480,794 
			 Business 146,601 
			 Forestry or timber business 7,200 
			 Charity 68,484 
			 Local authority 61,098 
			 Other public (not Forestry Commission) 27,302 
			 Forestry Commission 222,694 
			 Community ownership or common land 3,732 
			 Unidentified 3,917 
			 Total 1,021,822

Foxes

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the estimated number of foxes in each county in England was in each of the last 10 years.

Huw Irranca-Davies: DEFRA does not carry out annual surveys of fox numbers by county and is not aware of any measures of absolute numbers of red fox ('Vulpes vulpes') per county.
	However, information on game bags (foxes taken e.g. by shooting) is provided by the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust's national gamebag census. The analysis of mammal data from this annual survey is funded by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee as part of its surveillance programme. It provides an index of bag density for this species at a UK, country and regional scale and can be used to indicate what the population trend might be. The gamebag data for foxes over the last 10 years fluctuates, but the overall trend appears to be stable or slightly increasing.
	The results of this scheme are available in a report entitled Participation of the National Gamebag Census in the Mammal Surveillance Network. A copy of this has been placed in the House Library.

Hill Livestock Allowances

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the average age of a farmer receiving the hill farm allowance was in each year since the introduction of the allowance.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The Rural Payments Agency does not keep records concerning the age of applicants under the Hill Farm Allowance scheme.

Meat: Imports

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the  (a) volume and  (b) monetary value of each meat product imported from (i) Argentina, (ii) Botswana, (iii) Brazil, (iv) China, (v) Democratic Republic of Congo, (vi) Ecuador, (vii) Egypt, (viii) Israel, (ix) the Palestinian Autonomous Territories, (x) Russia, (xi) South Africa, (xii) Turkey and (xiii) Vietnam was in each of the last five years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The following table provides details of imports of meat and meat products from the specified countries, as recorded in the Official Overseas Trade Statistics, for the period 2004-08.
	
		
			  UK imports of meat and meat products from selected countries for 2004 to 2008 
			 2004  2005  2006 
			  Country  Type  Cut  £000  Tonnes  £000  Tonnes  £000  Tonnes 
			 Argentina Beef Boneless 24,188 8,641 28,413 9,226 20,299 5,128 
			   Edible offal 165 169 376 265 98 57 
			   Meat and offal (other than liver) inc. corned beef 11,259 8,931 10,164 7,309 8,212 4,906 
			   Other cuts with bone in (1)- (1)- 16 11 (1)- (1)- 
			  Chicken Bone in 67 66 (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- 
			   Boneless 1,306 1,015 1,782 1,276 1,322 997 
			   Prepared or preserved meat, offal or blood 24 14 (1)- (1)- 71 50 
			   Whole 148 249 350 485 148 228 
			  Goat Carcases and half carcases (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- 
			  Lamb Boneless 297 180 1,066 515 1,108 696 
			   Carcases and half carcases 2,285 1,496 2,012 1,233 337 227 
			  Other (not elsewhere stated) Meat (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- 
			  Sheep Bone in 54 42 69 34 562 275 
			   Boneless 36 24 (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- 
			  Sheep and goat Edible offal 3 8 65 107 57 76 
			  
			 Botswana Beef Boneless 15,422 4,848 11,351 3,461 8,317 2,380 
			   Meat and offal (other than liver) inc. corned beef 506 285 376 201 538 235 
			  
			 Brazil Beef Boneless 60,783 34,588 59,134 32,120 68,290 28,340 
			   Carcases and half carcases 22 23 32 23 (1)- (1)- 
			   Edible offal 324 331 323 339 163 163 
			   Meat and offal (other than liver) inc. corned beef 72,984 58,677 73,581 53,237 77,097 50,305 
			   Other cuts with bone in (1)- (1)- 93 33 16 12 
			  Chicken Bone in 7 12 
			   Boneless 46,060 34,891 59,759 48,194 24,158 16,846 
			   Prepared or preserved meat, offal or blood 9,445 6,148 14,087 10,224 13,540 9,324 
			   Whole 2,674 4,674 1,902 2,822 1,677 2,711 
			  Homogenised preparations Prepared or preserved meat, offal or blood (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- 
			  Lamb Boneless (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- 
			   Carcases and half carcases 30 17 14 17 (1)- (1)- 
			  Other (not elsewhere stated) Edible offal (1)- (1)-  (1)- 29 24 
			   Meat (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- 6,957 5,672 
			   Prepared or preserved meat, offal or blood (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- 
			  Poultry Prepared or preserved meat, offal or blood (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- 2 1 
			  Sheep Bone in (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- 
			  Sheep and goat Edible offal 73 63 (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- 
			  Turkey Bone in (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- 29 19 
			   Boneless 452 324 220 144 161 117 
			   Prepared or preserved meat, offal or blood 5,451 4,233 1,063 863 138 96 
			  
			 China Beef Meat and offal (other than liver) inc. corned beef (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- 
			  Chicken Prepared or preserved meat, offal or blood (1)- (1)- 160 109 30 19 
			  Lamb Boneless (1)- (1)- 20 4 30 13 
			  Poultry Prepared or preserved meat, offal or blood (1)- (1)- 62 18 54 22 
			  Sheep Bone in (1)- (1)- 73 20 (1)- (1)- 
			  
			 Egypt Sheep and goat Edible offal (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- 6 6 
			  
			 Israel Chicken Bone in 45 17 22 9 25 7 
			   Boneless (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- 
			   Edible offal 1 0 (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- 
			   Prepared or preserved meat, offal or blood 69 20 53 15 35 8 
			  Other (not elsewhere stated) Prepared or preserved meat, offal or blood (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- 2 1 
			  Poultry Prepared or preserved meat, offal or blood 59 7 42 3 93 6 
			  Sausages and similar products Prepared or preserved meat, offal or blood 23 7 11 3 (1)- (1)- 
			  Turkey Bone in (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- 
			   Boneless 180 97 (1)- (1)- 21 9 
			   Edible offal 1 1 (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- 
			   Prepared or preserved meat, offal or blood 584 278 107 32 48 16 
			   Whole 1 1 (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- 
			  
			 South Africa Beef Boneless (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- 
			   Meat and offal (other than liver) inc. corned beef 519 388 399 254 197 118 
			  Chicken Prepared or preserved meat, offal or blood (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- 42 19 
			  Duck, goose and guinea fowl Bone in (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- 
			  Game (not elsewhere stated) Meat and edible meat offal 95 31 69 16 58 15 
			  Game or rabbit Prepared or preserved meat, offal or blood (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- 
			  Other (not elsewhere stated) Meat and edible meat offal 62 15 (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- 
			   Prepared or preserved meat, offal or blood (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- 
			  Poultry Prepared or preserved meat, offal or blood 7 4 (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- 
			  Sheep Prepared or preserved meat, offal or blood (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- 
			  
			 Turkey Beef Boneless (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- 4 1 
			   Meat and offal (other than liver) inc. corned beef 155 160 (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- 
			  Chicken Boneless 38 13 (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- 
			  Pig Meat (1)- (1)- 9 6 (1)- (1)- 
			  Sausages and similar products Prepared or preserved meat, offal or blood (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- 
			  
			 Vietnam Chicken Prepared or preserved meat, offal or blood (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- 30 20 
			  Frogs' legs Meat and edible meat offal (1)- (1)- 23 9 10 4 
			  Poultry Prepared or preserved meat, offal or blood 9 2 (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- 
			  Reptiles Meat and edible meat offal (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- 
		
	
	
		
			 2007  2008 
			  Country  Type  Cut  £000  Tonnes  £000  Tonnes 
			 Argentina Beef Boneless 13,755 3,481 14,055 3,051 
			   Edible offal 82 58 175 74 
			   Meat and offal (other than liver) inc. corned beef 10,391 6,987 13,764 6,731 
			   Other cuts with bone in (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- 
			  Chicken Bone in (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- 
			   Boneless 1,644 994 3,113 1,603 
			   Prepared or preserved meat, offal or blood 370 201 576 210 
			   Whole 1,557 2,168 1,813 1,929 
			  Goat Carcases and half carcases 26 19 (1)- (1)- 
			  Lamb Boneless 602 356 1,155 503 
			   Carcases and half carcases 256 191 468 286 
			  Other (not elsewhere stated) Meat 34 24 43 20 
			  Sheep Bone in 539 294 345 147 
			   Boneless 81 48 (1)- (1)- 
			  Sheep and goat Edible offal 90 68 8 6 
			
			 Botswana Beef Boneless 13,158 3,897 10,539 3,247 
			   Meat and offal (other than liver) inc. corned beef 739 273 (1)- (1)- 
			
			 Brazil Beef Boneless 61,333 25,679 14,798 5,422 
			   Carcases and half carcases (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- 
			   Edible offal 56 68 35 15 
			   Meat and offal (other than liver) inc. corned beef 80,813 58,458 64,272 35,306 
			   Other cuts with bone in 99 12 105 48 
			  Chicken Bone in (1)- (1)- 78 92 
			   Boneless 11,432 7,456 10,189 5,926 
			   Prepared or preserved meat, offal or blood 22,260 14,795 42,320 21,772 
			   Whole 3,217 4,347 4,626 4,450 
			  Homogenised preparations Prepared or preserved meat, offal or blood (1)- (1)- 28 9 
			  Lamb Boneless 30 12 51 18 
			   Carcases and half carcases (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- 
			  Other (not elsewhere stated) Edible offal (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- 
			   Meat 26,745 17,829 34,455 20,693 
			   Prepared or preserved meat, offal or blood 13 8 (1)- (1)- 
			  Poultry Prepared or preserved meat, offal or blood (1)- (1)- 14 6 
			  Sheep Bone in 20 12 52 25 
			  Sheep and goat Edible offal (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- 
			  Turkey Bone in (1)- (1)- 349 126 
			   Boneless 937 440 2,356 1,056 
			   Prepared or preserved meat, offal or blood 305 162 252 92 
			
			 China Beef Meat and offal (other than liver) inc. corned beef 142 99 (1)- (1)- 
			  Chicken Prepared or preserved meat, offal or blood 93 45 198 71 
			  Lamb Boneless 43 18 34 19 
			  Poultry Prepared or preserved meat, offal or blood (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- 
			  Sheep Bone in (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- 
			
			 Egypt Sheep and goat Edible offal 46 44 25 20 
			
			 Israel Chicken Bone in 66 23 13 4 
			   Boneless (1)- (1)- 12 4 
			   Edible offal (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- 
			   Prepared or preserved meat, offal or blood 55 23 (1)- (1)- 
			  Other (not elsewhere stated) Prepared or preserved meat, offal or blood (1)- (1)- 5 1 
			  Poultry Prepared or preserved meat, offal or blood 108 8 (1)- (1)- 
			  Sausages and similar products Prepared or preserved meat, offal or blood (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- 
			  Turkey Bone in 205 81 72 26 
			   Boneless 45 18 441 151 
			   Edible offal 3 6 3 4 
			   Prepared or preserved meat, offal or blood 524 257 68 22 
			   Whole 4 2 (1)- (1)- 
			
			 South Africa Beef Boneless (1)- (1)- 1 0 
			   Meat and offal (other than liver) inc. corned beef 51 34 (1)- (1)- 
			  Chicken Prepared or preserved meat, offal or blood (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- 
			  Duck, goose and guinea fowl Bone in 5 1 (1)- (1)- 
			  Game (not elsewhere stated) Meat and edible meat offal 179 63 (1)- (1)- 
			  Game or rabbit Prepared or preserved meat, offal or blood 20 1 (1)- (1)- 
			  Other (not elsewhere stated) Meat and edible meat offal 9 2 (1)- (1)- 
			   Prepared or preserved meat, offal or blood 5 0 (1)- (1)- 
			  Poultry Prepared or preserved meat, offal or blood (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- 
			  Sheep Prepared or preserved meat, offal or blood 526 157 532 146 
			
			 Turkey Beef Boneless (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- 
			   Meat and offal (other than liver) inc. corned beef (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- 
			  Chicken Boneless (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- 
			  Pig Meat (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- 
			  Sausages and similar products Prepared or preserved meat, offal or blood 1 0 (1)- (1)- 
			
			 Vietnam Chicken Prepared or preserved meat, offal or blood (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- 
			  Frogs' legs Meat and edible meat offal (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- 
			  Poultry Prepared or preserved meat, offal or blood (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- 
			  Reptiles Meat and edible meat offal 1 1 (1)- (1)- 
			  Notes: '0' = quantity less than half the unit shown (1)- = nil values  Source:  HM Revenue and Customs Data prepared by Trade Statistics, Economics and Statistics Programme, DEFRA (c) Crown Copyright 
		
	
	It should be noted that imports of certain meats from many of these countries are not permitted. The following provides details of these import restrictions:
	
		
			  Country  Import restrictions 
			 Brazil Bone in beef meat (inc carcases and half carcases) 
			 Brazil Sheep meat, inc lamb and goat meat 
			 Argentina Sheep and goat meat/lamb (only from May 2002) 
			 Israel Beef 
			 China Sheep meat inc lamb 
			 Turkey Beef, pig meat, sheep meat 
			 Russia Pig meat 
			 Turkey All poultry meat 
			 Vietnam All poultry meat 
			 Egypt All poultry meat 
			 China All poultry meat was prohibited from China in 2004 
		
	
	Where imports are not permitted we believe that any imports recorded in the Overseas Trade Statistics represent consignments which have been exported from GB, rejected and returned or goods where the incorrect customs code have been entered.
	There was no recorded trade in meat and meat products during this period for the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ecuador, Russia or West Bank/Gaza Strip. West Bank/Gaza Strip is the recognised designation for the Palestinian region used by HMRC.

Members: Correspondence

Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he expects to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire, dated 23 June 2009, on carbon emissions and climate change.

Joan Ruddock: I have been asked to reply.
	I replied to the hon. Member for West Worcestershire on 6 August, and apologise for the delay in response.

Milk: Overseas Trade

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much  (a) liquid milk and  (b) milk powder was (i) imported and (ii) exported in each of the last three years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Imports and exports of liquid milk and milk powder are shown in the following tables.
	Liquid milk is imported into and exported from the UK in two forms, as raw milk for processing by dairies (Table 1), or as liquid drinking milk (e.g. pasteurised or UHT milk) (Table 2).
	Raw milk is only traded across the Irish border, that is raw milk imports come from the Republic of Ireland for processing by dairies in Northern Ireland, and vice versa.
	
		
			  Table 1: UK imports and exports of raw milk for processing (all trade across the Irish Border) 
			   Million litres 
			   2006  2007  2008 
			 Total imports 33.3 57.1 48.5 
			 Total exports 617.3 537.6 559.2 
			  Source:  DARDNI. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2 : UK imports and exports o f liquid drinking milk in 2006 to 2008 
			   Million litres 
			   2006  2007  2008 
			 Total imports 84.4 87.7 134.1 
			 Total exports 511.7 423.0 456.9 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3 : UK imports and exports of milk  powder in 2006 to 2008 
			   Tonnes 
			   2006  2007  2008 
			 Total imports 51,387 60,561 65,693 
			 Total exports 96,333 105,186 98,100 
			  Source:  HM Revenue and Customs.

Milk: Prices

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the average price per litre paid to  (a) farmers,  (b) purchasers and  (c) supermarkets for milk was in each year since 1997.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The following tables show annual UK farmgate and retail milk prices. No information is available on prices paid at all other points in the supply chain.
	The farmgate price is calculated from monthly surveys of milk purchasers conducted in England and Wales by DEFRA, in Scotland by RERAD and in Northern Ireland by DARD. The farmgate price is the average price received by producers, net of delivery charges. No deduction has been made for superlevy.
	
		
			  UK farmgate milk price 
			   Units ( pence per litre) 
			 1997 22 
			 1998 19 
			 1999 18 
			 2000 17 
			 2001 19 
			 2002 17 
			 2003 18 
			 2004 18 
			 2005 18 
			 2006 18 
			 2007 21 
			 2008 26 
			  Source: DEFRA 
		
	
	Average retail prices are published monthly by the ONS.
	
		
			  UK annual average retail price of whole milk 
			   Units (pence per litre) 
			 1997 62 
			 1998 60 
			 1999 60 
			 2000 60 
			 2001 65 
			 2002 63 
			 2003 64 
			 2004 62 
			 2005 61 
			 2006 61 
			 2007 65 
			 2008 74 
			  Source: ONS

National Bee Unit: Manpower

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many bee disease inspectors were employed by the National Bee Unit in each year since 2004.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The numbers of bee inspectors employed by the Food and Environment Research Agency's National Bee Unit (NBU) in England and Wales each year since 2004 are as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2004 45 
			 2005 45 
			 2006 45 
			 2007 45 
			 2008 45 
			 2009 63 
		
	
	These figures include eight full-time regional bee inspectors and the national bee inspector. The remainder are seasonal bee inspectors who are employed for the active beekeeping season. Details of the work undertaken by the NBU's bee inspectors can be found on the NBU website at:
	www.nationalbeeunit.com

Nitrate Pollution Prevention Regulations 2008

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the average cost to each farm of implementation of the Nitrate Pollution Prevention Regulations 2008.

Huw Irranca-Davies: An estimate of the average cost to each farm of implementing the Nitrate Pollution Prevention Regulations 2008 has not been made.
	The estimated annual cost to the agricultural sector of implementing the regulations is in the range £48,500,000 to £68,600,000. The UK's successful negotiation of a derogation from the livestock manure N farm limit, one of the more demanding requirements set by the nitrates directive, means these costs could be reduced by £16,900,000 to £21,700,000 per annum.

Nitrate Vulnerable Zones

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what grants his Department makes available for the construction of slurry storage in nitrate vulnerable zones.

Huw Irranca-Davies: We are not intending to provide a capital grant scheme for the construction of slurry stores. Past experience has shown that this may simply increase supply prices and merely postpone the impact of market forces.
	Slurry storage facilities are eligible for plant and machinery allowances such as the annual investment allowance, capped at £50,000 per year. Slurry pits also qualify for allowances in their own right under the Capital Allowances Act 2001.

Poaching

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the maximum penalty for an offence of poaching is; and what statutes govern the offence of poaching.

Huw Irranca-Davies: Some statutes specifically refer to the offence of poaching; others make it an offence to illegally take or kill wildlife in certain circumstances.
	The main statutes governing poaching are: the Game Act 1931 (maximum penalty £5,000); the Poaching Prevention Act 1862 (maximum penalty £1,000); and the Night Poaching Acts 1828 and 1844 (maximum penalty £2,500 and/or six months imprisonment).
	Statutes carrying a penalty for the illegal taking or killing of certain wildlife species are: the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (maximum penalty £5,000 and or/six months imprisonment); the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Act 1975 (the maximum penalty is an unlimited fine and/or up to two years imprisonment); and the Deer Act 1991 (maximum penalty of £2,500 and/or three months imprisonment).

Poultry: Animal Welfare

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he plans to take to ensure that British Standards relating to the welfare of chickens reared for meat production are maintained following the introduction of EU Council Directive 2007/43/EC; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: We are currently considering the responses received to our 12-week public consultation on the transposition of council directive 2007/43 for the protection of chickens kept for meat.
	At present there is no specific detailed legislation in place regarding meat chicken welfare other than the very general requirements contained within the Welfare of Farmed Animals (England) Regulations 2007. Council directive 2007/43 is a big step forward into looking at the welfare of meat chickens and is unique in that it is the first piece of EU welfare legislation which looks at welfare outcomes as well as prescribing the conditions in which chickens should be kept.
	The new European rules do therefore for the first time produce a legal baseline for all producers, including those who do not participate in any voluntary assurance schemes, while complementing, not replacing, existing voluntary assurance schemes of which many farmers are already a part.

Poultry: Feathers

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what quantity of poultry feathers were imported from each East Asian country in each of the last five years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The following table provides details of the imports of bird feathers from East Asian countries as recorded, in the Official Overseas Trade Statistics, for the period 2004 to 2008.
	
		
			  UK imports of bird feathers from East Asian countries for 2004 to 2008 
			   Tonnes 
			  Description  Country  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008 
			 Bird Feathers Bangladesh - - - - 1 
			  China 1,867 1,268 1,389 1,965 1,775 
			  Hong Kong 21 1 78 15 1 
			  India 1 0 0 0 0 
			  Pakistan 13 - - - - 
			  Singapore 0 - - - - 
			  Taiwan 817 992 1,163 1,247 1,189 
			  Vietnam 52 - - - - 
			 Bird Feathers Total 2,771 2,262 2,630 3,228 2,966 
			  Notation: 0 = quantity less than half the unit shown. - = nil values.  Source:  HM Revenue and Customs Data prepared by Trade Statistics, Economics and Statistics Programme, DEFRA.

Private Finance Initiative

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many local authorities have participated in the private finance initiative credits scheme announced in the Budget 2009 to date; and how many have made applications for participation which are under consideration.

Dan Norris: There have been 37 waste projects which have participated in the Waste Private Finance Initiative (PFI) credits scheme since it began.
	The 37 individual projects represent 53 waste disposal authorities working in partnership with 120 local authorities.
	A further seven projects (consisting of 16 waste disposal authorities covering 34 local authorities) have applied to participate in the PFI scheme. Their applications are under consideration.
	Full details can be found on the DEFRA website:
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/waste/localauth/fundinq/pfi/projects.htm

Property Development: Worksop

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what  (a) correspondence,  (b) emails and  (c) telephone calls have taken place between the Environment Agency and Bassetlaw District Council and its development partners concerning the development of Turner Road in Worksop in the last 12 months.

Jim Fitzpatrick: holding answer 12 October 2009
	The Environment Agency has had no contact over the last 12 months with the developer or their consultants in relation to the leisure development at Turner Road, Worksop.
	Over the last three weeks, the Environment Agency and Bassetlaw District Council have been in contact regarding Turner Road. The details of these conversations will be placed in the House Library.

Property Development: Worksop

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what delays in the Turner Road development site in Worksop have resulted from Environment Agency interventions in the last 12 months.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Environment Agency is not aware that it has caused any delays in relation to the proposed leisure development at Turner Road, Worksop over the last 12 months.

Ragwort: Weed Control

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will take steps to establish the number of local authorities which remove ragwort from grass verges.

Huw Irranca-Davies: DEFRA does not hold information about weed clearance activities by local authorities. Responsibility for clearance of ragwort and other weeds on grass verges rests with the local authority in respect of minor roads and with the Highways Agency in respect of motorways and trunk roads.

Rights of Way

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many Definitive Map Modification Orders he has determined without holding a local inquiry or hearing in circumstances where in his opinion representations or objections to an Order were irrelevant to the determination of that Order.

Huw Irranca-Davies: During the period 1 April 2008 to 31 March 2009, five Definitive Map Modification Orders were determined without holding a local inquiry or hearing in circumstances where representations or objections to an order were considered irrelevant to the determination of that order. Figures are not available for any earlier period.

Sheep: Tagging

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the effects on farmers of the introduction of electronic sheep tagging.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Impact Assessments were published in March as part of a wider public consultation on the implementation of electronic identification of sheep in England. A final Impact Assessment will accompany implementing legislation later this year.

Supermarkets

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on the regulation of supermarket trading practices.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Ministers are currently considering the recommendations of the Competition Commission.

Water Charges

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with reference to his Department's press release of 14 July 2009 on surface water drainage charges, DEFRA Minister pledges action on rain tax, what the timetable is for the introduction of new guidance to water companies.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The Government announced on 28 September that they will bring forward legislation to enable water and sewerage companies to operate concessionary schemes for community groups for surface water drainage charges. The legislation will be brought in as part of a Flood and Water Management Bill at the earliest opportunity.

TREASURY

Banks: Government Assistance

Michael Meacher: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the cost to the public purse has been of the Government's financial holdings in  (a) Northern Rock,  (b) Bradford and Bingley,  (c) RBS,  (d) Lloyds Banking Group,  (e) HBOS,  (f) Barclays and  (g) HSBC to date; and what estimate he has made of such costs in the next 12 months.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: I refer the right hon. Member to the written answer I gave him on 9 September 2009,  Official Report, column 1924W, for details of the Government's financial support, including the Government's equity investments, provided to Northern Rock, Bradford and Bingley, Royal Bank of Scotland and the Lloyds Banking Group. As at 31 March 2009 the Government had no equity investments in Barclays or HSBC. Budget 2009 reported that the Government provisionally estimates that the net losses arising from all financial stability interventions may lie within a potential range from £20 billion to £50 billion (11/2 to 31/2 per cent. of GDP).

Business: Government Assistance

Nick Gibb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he plans to increase the proportion of loan guaranteed by the Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme from 75 per cent.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The current level of the guarantee on an individual EFG loan ensures both that the scheme meets the state aid requirements as set by the European Commission and that the banks take enough risk on each loan to ensure that they have sufficient incentive to make considered commercial decisions on each application.
	The level of guarantee will be one element considered in any decisions on the future of the scheme. However, it must be balanced with considerations such as: state aid limits; risk sharing with banks; responsible use of public money; and affordability considerations.

Co-operation on Debt Recovery

Mark Harper: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 14 September 2009 on Co-operation on debt recovery, what estimate he has made of the number of individuals who owe money to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and who are in receipt of benefit payments from the Department for Work and Pensions by benefit type; what estimate he has made of the monetary value of the total debt which is owed to HMRC by these individuals; and how many full-time equivalent officials from his Department will be involved in operating this trial.

Stephen Timms: The information requested is not available. Work to design the trial is still under way.

Real Estate Investment Trust

Sarah Teather: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost to the Exchequer of  (a) halving and  (b) abolishing the entry charge to become a Real Estate Investment Trust.

Stephen Timms: No such estimates have been made.

UK Financial Investments

Graham Brady: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when UK Financial Investments Limited will publish a set of  (a) indicators and  (b) benchmarks against which its performance can be measured.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: UKFI set out its approach to indicators and benchmarks in the UKFI Strategy: Market Investments and Annual Report and Accounts 2008/09 available at:
	www.ukfi.gov.uk
	Treasury is working with UKFI to formulate these.

UK Financial Investments

Graham Brady: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will bring forward legislative proposals to place UK Financial Investments Limited on a statutory basis.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Government have no plans to bring forward legislation to establish UK Financial Investments Limited on a statutory basis.

UK Financial Investments: Location

Graham Brady: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when it was decided that UK Financial Investments Limited should relocate to premises outside HM Treasury; and what the reasons were for that decision.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The decision to relocate was taken by UKFI. UKFI has kept the question of its location under review, noting Treasury Select Committee recommendations, and announced on 28 July 2009 that it would be moving from the Treasury premises.

UK Financial Investments: Public Appointments

Graham Brady: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects UK Financial Investments Limited to appoint a new Chief Executive to replace John Kingman.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: UKFI is managing the recruitment process for John Kingman's successor as CEO, through public advertisements and a financial sector head-hunter.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Daniel Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how much compensation was paid to  (a) soldiers wounded in Afghanistan and  (b) dependent relatives of soldiers killed or seriously wounded in Afghanistan under the War Pension Scheme in financial year 2008-09;
	(2)  how much compensation was paid under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme to dependent relatives of personnel killed in Afghanistan as  (a) guaranteed income payments and  (b) other payments in financial year 2008-09;
	(3)  how much compensation was paid to soldiers wounded in Afghanistan under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme as  (a) lump sum payments and  (b) guaranteed income payments in financial year 2008-09.

Kevan Jones: The accounting records for both the War Pension Scheme and the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme do not capture the geographical or operational details to which the injuries relate. Therefore, it is not possible to provide how much was paid in compensating injured Service Personnel in 2008-09 specifically as a result of a particular conflict. The total expenditure under the War Pension Scheme for Financial Year 2008-09 was approximately £1 billion. The total expenditure, on a cash accounting basis, under the AFCS in Financial Year 2008-09 was £33.4 million. This amount comprises three elements as follows:
	
		
			   £ 
			 Lump sum payments to wounded personnel 30,100,000 
			 Guaranteed income payments to wounded personnel 579,000 
			 Guaranteed income payments to dependents of killed personnel 2,700,000 
		
	
	In addition, on an actuarial basis, the scheme has future liabilities estimated at £352.4 million in respect of service related injuries already sustained but unclaimed at 31 March 2009 and the future value of the Guaranteed Income Payments.

Armoured Fighting Vehicles

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many  (a) Ridgeback vehicles were operational in and  (b) Ridgeback qualified drivers were in theatre on (i) 30 June, (ii) 31 July and (iii) 31 August 2009.

Bill Rammell: I am withholding the information as its disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the armed forces.

Defence Medical Services

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment has been made of the extent to which armed forces  (a) medical personnel and  (b) medical personnel in pinch point trades are in breach of the single service harmony guidelines.

Kevan Jones: There are no medical pinch point trades in the naval service. Other naval medical trades and RAF medical pinch point trades in breach of harmony guidelines are given in the table.
	The Army, being the last service to transfer to the Joint Personnel Administration System, does not yet have sufficient data to provide meaningful statistics, although units in theatre are actively monitoring and managing the level of separated service for individual personnel. A complete period of data should become available in the new year.
	
		
			  Royal Navy medical trades with harmony breaches  Percentage of current population breaching harmony 
			 QARNNS Ratings 0.5 
			 Medical Assistants (General Service) 0.6 
			 Medical Assistants (Royal Marine) 2.6 
			 RAF Medical Pinch Point  
			 Medical Branch (all RAF doctors) 4.0 
			 Medical Nursing Officer 6.0

Defence Science and Technology Laboratory: Finance

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of his Department's research budget has been allocated to the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory in each year from 2009-10 to 2012-13.

Quentin Davies: The Department currently plans to place contracts with the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) to the value of £204 million in 2009-10 out of a total research budget of £471 million. Contracts beyond 2009-10 have not yet been finalised.

Departmental Databases

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what categories of personal information on members of the public will be held on each of his Department's and its agency's databases expected to become operational in the next five years; what estimate he has made of the likely number of individuals' details each such database will hold when fully operational; and if he will make a statement.

Kevan Jones: Ministry of Defence officials are currently collating and validating the data needed to answer these questions. I will write to the hon. Member before the summer recess.
	 Substantive answer from Kevan Jones to Jenny Willott:
	I undertook to write to you in response to your Parliamentary Questions on 14 July, (Official Report , column 270W) and 21 July (Official Report, column 1197W) on existing and planned MOD databases which contain personal information on members of the public.
	The following table provides details of the main MOD databases which hold personal information on members of the public. In some of these databases the majority of information held will relate to members of the Services or MOD civilian personnel however we have included them as there may also be information relating to the public e.g. an unsuccessful applicant for a vacancy.
	
		
			  Name and purpose of database  Categories of personal information held on members of the public  Year in which database became operational(and year from which specific categories of information were collected - if different) 
			 Joint Personnel Administration The following information is held as Emergency Contact information: April 2006 for RAF personnel, November 2006 for Royal Navy personnel, The data was extracted from each service's legacy system which had in turn developed paper files from the 1960s onwards. 
			 Military Personnel HR Title, First name, Middle name, Surname Post-nominal, Email address, Relationship, Relationship start date Whether Emergency Contact, is legal Next of Kin, Whether Primary Contact, Main postal address, Contact telephone, number(s) (home, work, mobile etc)  
			
			 Warrantor 2 Information provided by vetting subjects(1) as part of the Security Questionnaire: 2001 
			 Warrantor is the Defence Vetting Agency's (DVA) vetting database, it is used to process and store the results of security vetting applications received. Name, Address, Date of birth Current occupation, Previous occupations and addresses, Financial information, Details of family members etc - Credit reference check, criminal record check, medical information and Security Service check as required for the level of vetting application  
			
			 Defence Vetting Agency E-form As Warrantor 2 - The database stores Security Questionnaire information electronically for a limited number of Security Check/Counter Terrorist Check National Security Vetting applications 2008 
			
			 Defence Vetting Agency Warrantor 2 Support Services Database Names and addresses of Referees and Subjects 2004 
			 Queries Warrantor to list names and addresses of Referees and Subjects to produce address labels for sending out Vetting Information leaflets and covering letters   
			
			 Defence Vetting Agency Names and dates of birth of vetting subjects 2002 
			 File Tracker   
			 Keeps a record of all paper files held by the DVA   
			
			 Defence Vetting Agency Feedback database Names, addresses, contact details 2006 
			 Holds records of all formal complaints, correspondence and feedback received by the DVA.   
			
			 Defence Vetting Agency VMA database Name, contact details, Doctor's Information, Medical details 2004 
			 Keeps a record of cases that have been referred to the Vetting Medical Adviser and the outcome   
			
			 Defence Vetting Agency EA(D)S Criminal records Bureau databases (3) Information provided by the vetting subject as part of the Application Form: name, date of birth, details of position for which Disclosure is being requested, Address of initiating Unit. Disclosure level, stage dates and invoice details, result indicator and employment decision 2002 
			 Holds details about the progress of disclosure records for CRB applications.   
			
			 DAS LOW FLYING Name, Address, telephone number, mobile number e-mail address 1995 
			 Details of complaints concerning Low Flying activity in the UK   
			
			 LoCMIS- Low flying Complaints Management Information System Name, Address, telephone number, mobile number, e-mail address Database created - 2003 Information stored from 2005 
			 Details of complaints concerning Low Flying activity in the UK   
			
			 RAF Police Taskings and Breach Database Name, Address, telephone number, mobile number, e-mail address 1995 
			
			 Details of complaints that have been referred to the Defence Flying Complaints Investigation Team   
			
			 Unified Force Information (UNIFI)   
			 UNIFI is the MDPGA (MOD Police and Guarding Agency) crime recording and intelligence database. Names, addresses etc and intelligence November 2007 
			
			 MDPGA (Ministry of Defence Police and Guarding Agency) Command and Control Names and addresses of members of public. May 2004 
			 A system to record police incidents and police action   
			
			 MDPGA (Ministry of Defence Police and Guarding Agency) HOLMES 2 (Home Office Large Major Enquiry System) The following information is recorded or. victims of crime and witnesses: First Names, Maiden Name, Alias/Nicknames, Occupation, Employer, Title, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Gender, Ethnicity, Description, Nationality, Height, Source of Information i.e., from statement form November 2000 
			
			 Centurion Names and addresses of complainants and witnesses. January 1991 
			 Centurion processes information relating to the misconduct of police officers and complaints from members of the public   
			
			 E-Visitor Pro X Names, addresses of visitors to (MDPGA) Wethersfield May 2004 
			 Management of administration and production of visitor day passes to Ministry of Defence Police and Guarding Agency site.   
			
			 Computerised Admin Names, addresses etc of potential MDP recruits. April 2006 
			 System for Assessment of Police Recruits (CASA).   
			
			 Access to Information Toolkit (AIT) First and surname, profession, address (email and postal), phone and fax numbers, request details, whether vexatious or not, details of the handling of the request (when received, when sent etc). Copy of correspondence received and sent (therefore could include handwriting, signature). All fields are optional except name (though could be believable pseudonym) and either written or email contact address January 2005 
			 Tracking, logging and storing the final answers for all Freedom of Information requests received centrally by MOD   
			
			 FOI Master Request List Name of requestor, then full then full details of the request status 2005 
			 Annual database of all FOI requests received. Drawn from AIT   
			
			 SMS (Squadron Management System) Addresses, Contact Details, Commendations/Awards, DEA Qualifications, Medical (Information on allergies or conditions that would affect Cadet activities or Camps and is accessible only by the OC Sqn and the staff assigned by the OC as per paper records). Promotions, Posting, Flying Logs, Shooting Logs 2006 
			 Management and administration of Air Cadet Organisation (AGO) Squadrons and cadet activities   
			
			 STS_Bader_BLJ Name, contact Phone and e-mail 2006 
			 Database supporting document collaboration system used to distribute Air Cadet Organisation publications and forms.   
			
			 Westminster Names, Ranks, DOB, Ethnicity Religion, Marital Status, Address, Contact Numbers, Next of Kin, Medical, Doctor, Schools, Dietary, Qualifications, Awards, Driving Licence, CRB, Course/Event Attendance, Remuneration 2007 (All Categories) 
			 (Cadet Force Management for Sea Cadet Corps /Army Cadet Force /Combined Cadet Force)   
			
			 Universe Addresses, Contact Details, Promotions, Postings, Courses, Commendations/Awards, Bank Records, Remuneration Records, Travel Claims, 1986 
			 Air Cadet Organisation Pay and Personnel System   
			
			 PenServer Contact details for nominees of death benefits. Contact and bank account details where widow/children's pensions are in payment due to death in service of member, plus dates of birth where children are under 18 and details for guardians where there are no surviving parents 2000 
			 Details of married members of the PCSPS (Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme)   
			
			 Human Resources Management System (HRMS) Employees: Next of Kin contact details, Emergency contact details 2002 (staged creation of records, process completed by March 2004). 
			  Unsuccessful External Applicants for MOD Although always possible to record details for external applicants, process not widely adopted until mid-2005. 
			  Vacancies: Contact details, National Insurance Number*, Date of Birth*, Ethnic Group*, National Identity*, Disability*, Gender*, Sexual Orientation*, Personal Accomplishments (qualifications, licences, memberships etc) and contact details for referees/former employers (* Where provided)  
			
			 Civilian Harmonised Integrated Pay System (CHIPS) Dates of birth for dependent children in cases where certain allowances have been claimed by staff working overseas. 2007 
			
			 Subject Access Requests and Information Database (SID) Contact details for individuals who have sought information from People, Pay and Pensions Agency under the Freedom of Information Act or Data Protection Act. 2009 
			
			 Central Health Records Library - Cqube Name, Date of Birth 1996 
			 Index of medical records that were microfilmed or scanned   
			
			 NIGEL Limited and authorised contact details as supplied by journalists and charities are retained on NIGEL for use in distributing press releases, identifying contacts for business purposes. 2007 
			 Press database   
			
			 ICARAS Name, Address, DOB, National Insurance number 2005 
			 On-line Recruiting Database   
			
			 TRHJ Name, Address, DOB, National Insurance number, NOK, Bank Details 2007 
			 Recruiting Database operating within MOD network   
			
			 ORMISII Officer Selection Database Name, Address, DOB, National Insurance number 2004 
			
			 TAFMIS-T Training Database Name, Address, DOB, National Insurance number, Course Information 1996 
			 Parliamentary Toolkit: Name Address Summary of the issue 2003 
			 1. For recording and processing correspondence from MPs written on behalf of constituents   
			 2. For recording and processing letters from the public addressed to Ministers.   
			 (1 )Vetting Subjects are those for whom National Security Vetting inquiries have taken place. These are primarily MOD and other public service civilians, members of the armed forces and workers in the Defence industry. Further information is available at www.dva.mod.uk 
		
	
	There are likely to be additional smaller databases which contain personal information on members of the public, for example it is common practice for Military units to maintain lists of appropriate members of their local community to whom they will extend invitations to social and other occasions. Details of these and other equivalent databases are not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
	There are also a small number of databases whose details are being withheld for the purposes of safeguarding national security or whose disclosure would prejudice the prevention or detection of crime.
	All information is collected and retained in accordance with the Data Protection Act. The following table provides details of known future MOD databases, subject to the same exemptions as above, which will hold personal information on members of the public.
	
		
			  Name and purpose of database  Categories of personal information that will be held on members of the public  Year database expected to become operational  Estimated number of records that will be held 
			 Cerberus All information currently held by Warrantor, E-form pilot, feedback database and VMA database. 2010 When the Cerberus database is complete and functional, it will hold approximately two million records. This represents all cases where the Defence Vetting Agency has received applications for National Security Vetting inquiries since its establishment in 2000, as well as historical records transferred from the Service Vetting Units that preceded the DVA. 
			 Will replace Warrantor as the Defence Vetting Agency main database to process and store the results of security vetting applications received
			390,000 records 
			 File Trail Names and dates of birth of vetting subjects 2009-10 Approximately 
			 Replacement for DVA File tracker
		
	
	These new databases becoming operational over the next five years are primarily upgrades and replacements for existing systems and do not substantially change the nature or volume of MOD's data holdings.

Nepal: Helicopters

Clare Short: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the outcomes were of his Department's investigation into alleged corruption linked to the gifting of two M1-17 helicopters from the Conflict Prevention Fund to the Royal Nepal Army in 2002; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave on 9 September 2009,  Official Report, column 2000W.

Nepal: Helicopters

Clare Short: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 9 September 2009,  Official Report, column 2000W, on helicopters: Nepal, whether the investigation found evidence of wrongdoing short of criminality in the procurement of the helicopters.

Bob Ainsworth: No.

Nepal: Helicopters

Clare Short: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 9 September 2009,  Official Report, column 2000W, on helicopters: Nepal, what assistance was provided by the  (a) government and  (b) army of Nepal to the investigation.

Bob Ainsworth: The investigation had no direct engagement with either the Government or the army of Nepal. Any relevant documentation received from the Government or the army of Nepal was passed to the Ministry of Defence Police Fraud Squad by the UK Ministry of Defence.

Trident: Scotland

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to the answer of 21 July 2008,  Official Report, column 848W, on Trident: Scotland, 
	(1)  how many of the 589 civilians at HM Naval Base Clyde whose jobs directly rely upon the Trident programme are employed in  (a) engineering and science,  (b) logistics,  (c) security,  (d) health and safety,  (e) outfitting and steel work and  (f) other areas;
	(2)  how many of the 589 civilians at HM Naval Base Clyde whose jobs directly rely upon the Trident programme are resident in  (a) Argyll and Bute constituency,  (b) West Dunbartonshire constituency,  (c) elsewhere in Scotland and  (d) outside Scotland;
	(3)  what the  (a) skills requirements and  (b) geographic distribution of the 250 indirect civilian jobs relating to support activities for the Trident programme in Scotland are.

John Hutton: The information requested is not held by my Department in that format.
	Action is ongoing, however, to update the December 2006 figures as part of a broader package of work. I will write to my hon. Friend when this work is complete.
	 Substantive answer from Bob Ainsworth to Katy Clark :
	In answer to your Written Questions on 9 March, (Official Report, column 178W) the then Secretary of State undertook to write to you on completion of a package of work that was being carried out to update the number of civilian jobs in Scotland that directly rely upon the Trident programme.
	This exercise has now been completed and a breakdown of civilian jobs by skill and home location at Her Majesty's Naval Base Clyde, including Faslane and Coulport, directly reliant upon the Trident programme is provided below.
	
		
			  Skill  Ministry of Defence  Babcock Marine  Total 
			 Engineering and Science 85 197 282 
			 Logistics 22 22 44 
			 Health and Safety 0 1 1 
			 Outfitting and Steel Work 0 0 0 
			 Other areas 40 25 65 
			 Total 147 245 392 
			 
			 Lockheed Martin UK Strategic Systems: breakdown by skill set is unavailable - - 72 
			 Total civilian jobs directly reliant on Trident - - 464 
		
	
	
		
			  Location  Ministry of Defence  Babcock Marine  Total 
			 Argyll and Bute 74 66 140 
			 West Dumbartonshire 48 104 152 
			 Elsewhere in Scotland 25 75 100 
			 Outside Scotland 0 0 0 
			 Total 147 245 392 
			 
			 Lockheed Martin UK Strategic Systems: breakdown in terms of home location is unavailable - - 72 
			 Total civilian jobs directly reliant on Trident - - 464 
			  Notes: 1. Figures shown are as at March 2009 and based on individuals employed. 2. Ministry of Defence Police and Ministry of Defence Guard Service have not been included in this exercise. This information is being withheld for the purpose of safeguarding national security and defence. 3. Posts with the Strategic Weapon System heading have been considered Trident-related. 
		
	
	Unfortunately, however, some of the information is not held in the format you requested. The revised figure of 464 civilian jobs that directly rely on the Trident programme in Scotland reflects the position as at March 2009. This excludes any Ministry of Defence Guard Service or Ministry of Defence Police posts because this figure is being withheld for the purpose of safeguarding national security and defence.
	It is estimated that there are a further 200 indirect civilian jobs in Scotland relating to support activities on the Trident programme. Officials have confirmed that information relating to indirect civilian jobs was derived using national multipliers as published by the Scottish Executive on 31 March 2009, for the ship building, weapons and ammunition, instruments industries and project management/business service as appropriate. It is, therefore, not possible to break out this information in terms of skills and location.
	I hope this information is useful.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Buildings: Retail Trade

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what best practice guidance his Department has issued on high quality architecture and design for retail premises.

Ian Austin: In March 2005 we published 'Planning for Town Centres: Guidance on Design and Implementation tools'. This guidance supports Planning Policy Statement 6 (PPS6): 'Planning for town centres' and deals specifically with design issues relating to planning for town centres, including retail premises.

Business Improvement Districts

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans he has to publish guidance on the use of  (a) business rate supplements (BRS) and  (b) BRS business improvement district levies.

Barbara Follett: In January, CLG jointly with HMT, published for consultation draft guidance on BRS. This was followed in May by volume one of the statutory guidance, which focused on ballots and on how to assess compliance with the additionality test. CLG and HMT intend to publish shortly further statutory guidance on the use of BRS revenue and the governance arrangements for BRS projects. This final guidance will also incorporate the guidance published in May.
	During the passage of the BRS Bill through Parliament, the Government made a commitment to consider and consult on the principle of BRS-BIDs and then to consult on the detail of the policy. Government will set out its intentions on BRS-BIDs in due course.

Community Development: Finance

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding his Department has provided to local community groups from the Communitybuilders fund to date.

Barbara Follett: No payments have been made from the fund to date. The fund opened for applications on 7 September 2009. Since then, the consortium led by Adventure Capital Fund (ACF), which is delivering the programme on behalf of Communities and Local Government and the Office of the Third Sector, has received about 1,500 inquiries. These are in the process of being assessed and the first offers of funding to community groups will be made in November.

Community Infrastructure Levy

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his policy is on the notification of the provisions of section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 following the entry into force of the community infrastructure levy provisions of the Planning Act 2008; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Austin: The Government's policy on the use of Planning Obligations under section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 is set out in Government Circular 05/2005. As part of the Government's consultation on the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL), which was launched on 30 July 2009 and will conclude on 23 October 2009, the Government have stated their intention to make changes to the operation of section 106 following the introduction of CIL. Details of the Government's proposals are set out in chapter 5 of the CIL consultation document.

Conferences

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which conferences held outside member states of the European Union have been attended by representatives of his Department in the last 12 months.

Barbara Follett: The information requested is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Council Tax

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether  (a) a local authority with a below-average council tax collection rate is compensated in the local government finance settlement formula for the reduced revenue from council tax and  (b) a local authority with an above-average council tax collection rate has its additional revenue equalised away.

Barbara Follett: A council's performance on collecting council tax does not affect the amount of formula grant it receives.

Council Tax: Carers

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps his Department has taken to publicise the council tax reduction available to those who care for a disabled person.

Barbara Follett: The Council Tax and Non-Domestic Rating (Demand Notices) (England) Regulations 2003 places a statutory duty on billing authorities to provide information with the council tax demand notice on the circumstances under which council tax can be reduced through a discount disregard or exemption.

Council Tax: Valuation

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will bring forward proposals to repeal the legislation that allows him to initiate a council tax revaluation in England by statutory instrument.

Barbara Follett: Repeal of section 22(b) of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 would require primary legislation. The Government have no plans to ask Parliament to approve such legislation.

Council Tax: Valuation

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether a council is compensated via the local government finance settlement for a smaller tax base as a consequence of households successfully appealing against their council tax banding and moving to a lower band.

Barbara Follett: The distribution of formula grant to local authorities in England takes account of the socio-economic and demographic characteristics of the authority, together with its relative ability to raise council tax, expressed in terms of the council tax base. We then ensure that every authority receives at least a minimum percentage increase (the 'floor') year-on-year on a like-for-like basis. In order to pay for the cost of the floor, we scale back the increase in grant above the floor for other authorities.
	Since the introduction of multi-year settlements, we have used projected tax base data in the calculation of formula grant. The starting point for the tax base projections used in the current three-year settlement, covering 2008-09 to 2010-11, is the tax base as at 8 October 2007 adjusted for student exemptions. This is then increased annually by the Secretary of State's estimate of the average annual increase in the tax base for the authority between 10 October 2005 and 8 October 2007.
	If a household moved into a lower band before the 8 October 2007, then this will be reflected in the tax base figures for the local authority that were used in the current tax base calculations. If a change in tax band has occurred since this date, then this will not be reflected until the 2011-12 settlement when the data are next updated.

Departmental Electronic Equipment

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many laptop computers issued to staff of his Department in each of the last five years were issued to  (a) new staff and  (b) existing staff following the (i) loss or (ii) theft of a previous device.

Barbara Follett: Communities and Local Government does not record centrally whether or not laptop computers were specifically issued to new or existing staff, or if they are issued as replacements for lost/stolen devices. Such information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	All departmental laptops have hard drive encryption deployed and require two factor authentication to access the CLG corporate network. CLG staff are required to complete information assurance training in line with cross government requirements.
	I would refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Reigate (Mr. Blunt) on 30 June 2009,  Official Report, column 190W.

Departmental Internet

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate has been made of the annual cost to his Department of maintaining and updating its Twitter account; and how many staff are responsible for updating the account.

Barbara Follett: The corporate Twitter account is maintained as part of the routine business of the Department's web team alongside other social media channels. The pay cost has not been disaggregated.

Departmental Manpower

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many speech writers his Department employs on  (a) permanent and  (b) fixed-term contracts.

Barbara Follett: The Department currently employs two full-time speechwriters on permanent contracts. In addition, a third permanently contracted speechwriter is shared between and co-funded by Communities and Local Government and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

Departmental Pay

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many staff in each division of his Department received bonus payments in the last year for which figures are available.

Barbara Follett: Information is not stored on our systems in a way that will allow us to provide this information by division. However, the following table shows the number of staff in CLG who received bonus payments in 2008:
	
		
			  Category of employee  Scheme  Number of employees (approx)  Number of employees who received awards in 2008 
			 Senior Civil Service (SCS) SCS Annual Performance Bonuses 150 102 
			 All Staff below SCS CLG Performance Awards 1,982 570 
		
	
	Please note the numbers of employees in the table above excludes employees on unpaid special leave, outward loans and secondments but includes inward loads and secondments.
	Final figures are not available for 2009 as the CLG annual pay award has not been implemented yet.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which Minister in his Department has been assigned responsibility for overseeing the delivery of value for money in his Department; whether his Department has established a public sector reform team to implement service reforms; and if he will make a statement.

Barbara Follett: I am the value for money Minister for this Department. The Department is committed to reforming public services to improve services for the citizen; various teams are working closely with colleagues in the centre of Government on this important agenda. We have not needed to establish a specific public sector reform team.

Eco-Towns

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his Department's Planning Policy Statement on eco-towns has cost to produce.

John Healey: It is not possible to cost the Department's spend on the production of the Planning Policy Statement: eco-towns (PPS), as the PPS has been developed as part of the Eco-towns programme and alongside our housing policies.
	The cost of typesetting, printing and publishing the PPS and supporting documents including the SA Addendum, SA Statement, Impact Assessment and summary of consultation responses was £16,300.

Empty Dwelling Management Orders

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what representations his Department and its predecessor have received from civil liberties groups on empty dwelling management orders.

Ian Austin: The Department has not received any representations from civil liberty groups on empty dwelling management orders.

Empty Dwelling Management Orders

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will initiate an independent review of the use of empty dwelling management order powers by local authorities.

Ian Austin: The Department is making a continuous assessment of the success of empty dwelling management orders through its regular contact with local authorities and the Empty Homes Agency.

Energy Performance Certificates

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the number of  (a) owner-occupied,  (b) privately rented and  (c) social rented homes which have been issued with energy performance certificates.

John Healey: The total number of domestic energy performance certificates (EPCs) lodged on the EPC Register in the following categories, as of 4 October 2009, is as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			  (a) Owner Occupied 2,057,346 
			  (b) Privately Rented 871,264 
			  (c) Social Rented 390,811 
		
	
	In addition we estimate that there are 236,951 EPCs recorded for newly constructed dwellings, some of which may also fall into one of these categories.

Energy Performance Certificates

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government  (a) how many and  (b) what percentage of (i) local authority and (ii) registered social landlord homes have been issued with energy performance certificates.

John Healey: The National Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) Register records whether the properties to which EPCs relate are in the social rented sector but does not record information about whether those properties are owned by either local authorities or registered social landlords.

English Regions Network

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what funding his Department is providing to the English Regions Network in 2009-10.

Ian Austin: In the current financial year the Department will provide £60,000 to the English Regions Network.

Fetes

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent estimate he has made of the number of  (a) permits,  (b) risk assessments and  (c) licences required from local authorities in order to operate a fete.

Barbara Follett: The information requested is not held centrally.

Fire Services: Pensions

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether his planned changes to the Local Government Pension Scheme will include changes to the Firefighters' Pension Scheme.

Barbara Follett: Within the Government's overall policies for public service pension schemes, separate regulations govern the administration of the Local Government Pension Scheme and the Firefighters' Pension Schemes.

Homes and Communities Agency

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on what date his Department received the Homes and Communities Agency's most recent  (a) annual report and  (b) corporate plan; and on what date a Minister in his Department approved the publication of each.

John Healey: The Department has yet to receive a complete draft of the Homes and Communities Agency's Annual Report. The Annual Report does not require ministerial approval.
	There were a number of iterations of the HCA's Corporate Plan, reflecting the additional funding allocated to the Agency announced in Budget 2009, and Building Britain's Future. The Plan was published on 25 September, and can be found on the Agency's website at:
	http://www.homesandcommunities.co.uk/public/documents/HCA_Corporate%20Plan_English.pdf

Housing: Construction

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many new houses have been built in each county in each of the last 10 years; and what percentage of these houses have been affordable.

Ian Austin: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 8 May 2009,  Official Report, column 450W, for figures showing new affordable homes built as a proportion of all homes built. This shows estimates at regional level; equivalent estimates at county level could only be produced at disproportionate cost.
	There is some information on all new build by local authority available in Live Table 253:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/housing/xls/140921.xls
	on the CLG website. This information however is incomplete for some local authorities and therefore it is not possible to produce estimates of the proportion that are affordable.
	A table has been placed in the House Library showing the number of new affordable homes built in each county by year.

Housing: Finance

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  how much he expects the Homes and Communities Agency to reclaim from registered social landlords under the Recycled Capital Grant Receipts Programme in each of the next three years;
	(2)  what the total level of  (a) expired and  (b) current Recycled Capital Grant Receipts Programme funding unclaimed by the Homes and Communities Agency was in (i) each of the last 12 quarters and (ii) the latest period for which figures are available;
	(3)  what the monetary value of reclamations made by the Homes and Communities Agency through the Recycled Capital Grant Receipts Programme was in each of the last 12 quarters.

John Healey: The following table shows the amount held in the Recycled Capital Grant Fund at the end of the last three financial years and the total the amount which had been held for over three years. Figures are only available by year.
	
		
			  £ million 
			  As at 31 March:  RCGF closing balance  Of which:  Over three years old 
			 2007 418 0.9 
			 2008 493 0.6 
			 2009(1) 496 1.8 
			 (1) Figures for year ending 31 March 2009 are provisional.  Source: Homes and Communities Agency 
		
	
	Where deposits in the Recycled Capital Grant Fund are older than three years, the Homes and Communities Agency may grant an extension for their use past the three year recovery date.
	The total amounts reclaimed by the Homes and Communities Agency from the Recycled Capital Grant Fund by quarter for the past three years are shown in the following table:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2006-07  
			 Q1 384,500 
			 Q2 1,215,428 
			 Q3 576,292 
			 Q4 730,539 
			   
			 2007-08  
			 Q1 240,116 
			 Q2 729,747 
			 Q3 186,618 
			 Q4 600,000 
			   
			 2008-09  
			 Q1 0 
			 Q2 683,643 
			 Q3 124,916 
			 Q4 0 
			  Source: Homes and Communities Agency 
		
	
	There are no future estimates of amounts that may be reclaimed by the Homes and Communities Agency from the Recycled Capital Grant Fund.

Housing: Finance

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many bids for capital funding were received by the Homes and Communities Agency from  (a) local authorities,  (b) registered social landlords and  (c) private housebuilders in each of the last three years; what the monetary value of bids in each category was; how many housing units this represented; and how many applications (i) were accepted, (ii) were rejected and (iii) are awaiting a decision.

John Healey: The Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) was established on 1 December 2008. From that date to the end of the 2008-09 financial year, 5,674 bids for capital funding were recorded as received by the HCA; two from  (a) local authorities, 3,887 from  (b) registered social landlords and 1,805 from  (c) unregistered bodies (including but not exclusively private housebuilders). Bids from  (a) local authorities amounted to £4 million and 85 housing units(1); from  (b) registered social landlords amounted to £3,505.5 million and 49,200 units; and from  (c) unregistered bodies amounted to £652.7 million and 16,400 units.
	As at the end of March 2009, 3,126 bids had been accepted, 503 rejected and 2,065 were pending.
	(1 )Housing units will include bedspaces and bedrooms in the case of the Places of Change programme, which funds hostel accommodation.

Housing: Sustainable Development

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many revisions have been made to the Code of Sustainable Homes since it was first published; and when the most recent version of the document was published.

Ian Austin: The Code for Sustainable Homes (the Code) was introduced in England in April 2007 as a voluntary national standard for the design and construction of new sustainable homes. The Code Technical Guidance, which sets out the Code Standards was produced for the Code's launch in April 2007. There is a requirement for ongoing revision and updates to this guidance at appropriate points to reflect changes in Building and other regulations, to clarify language and to respond to feedback from the construction industry and other stakeholders.
	All changes to date have been made with the involvement of stakeholders including house builders, product manufacturers, etc and considered by the Code Technical Guide Advisory Group. Published versions of the Code are April 2007, October 2007, April 2008, October 2008 and May 2009. As the Code Standard becomes more established and understanding of how to build sustainable homes improves, there will be less frequent updates. Communities and Local Government is continuing to engage its stakeholders in this process.

Housing: Sustainable Development

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether power showers are permitted to be installed in homes which meet the requirements of level 6 of the Code for Sustainable Homes.

Ian Austin: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles) on 3 February 2009,  Official Report, column 11145W.

Local Government Services: Elderly

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what financial obligations will apply to local authorities in relation to plans for a National Care Service and free personal care for the elderly.

Phil Hope: I have been asked to reply.
	The Care and Support Green Paper Shaping the Future of Care Together contains two options around the extent of the responsibilities of local authorities and national Government in allocating funds for the National Care Service. We are currently consulting on the design of the new National Care Service. No decisions will be taken until this process is complete.
	The Prime Minister's announcement of free personal care in the home for those with the highest needs will be funded from reprioritised central budgets, and local authorities will reprioritise and use savings from efficiency measures. We will be working with stakeholders to make sure other services are not affected.

Local Government: Executives

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what terms of reference were given to the Audit Commission in its investigation of the regulation of financial agreements between local authorities and chief executives who leave before the end of the term of their contract.

Barbara Follett: The Audit Commission has been asked to research pay-offs for senior local authority employees and their subsequent re-employment by another authority. It is for the Audit Commission to determine any terms of reference.

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  how many households accepted an offer to purchase their home through the Mortgage Rescue Scheme in  (a) July and  (b) August 2009;
	(2)  how many households received an offer to purchase their home from a registered social landlord in  (a) July and  (b) August 2009;
	(3)  how many households applied for the Mortgage Rescue Scheme in  (a) July and  (b) August 2009;
	(4)  from how many households having difficulties paying their mortgage local authorities received approaches in  (a) July and  (b) August 2009; and what proportion of such approaches were made by households (i) at risk of repossession and (ii) in a priority need category.

John Healey: We have acted rapidly to put in place a range of help and support for households struggling with their mortgage at every stage, and launched a campaign to ensure households have clear information about the help available.
	Mortgage rescue scheme summary monitoring statistics are published on a quarterly basis on the Department's website. Figures can be assessed using the following link:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/corporate/statistics/mortgagerescuestatistics
	We will be publishing headline data for the July to September quarter 2009 on 12 November 2009, as pre-announced on the UK Statistics Authority Publication Hub and the Department's statistical release schedule.

Multiple Occupation: Licensing

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many local authorities have  (a) applied for and  (b) been granted (i) additional and (ii) selective licensing powers for houses in multiple occupation.

Ian Austin: Six local authorities have applied for additional licensing schemes for houses in multiple occupation (HMO). The Department has approved three schemes in the following two local authority areas; London borough of Hounslow (two schemes) and Peterborough borough council.
	13 local authorities have applied for selective licensing schemes to cover all private rented properties within certain designated areas. The Department has to date approved 16 schemes in the following 11 local authority areas; Salford city council (two schemes), Middlesbrough borough council, Manchester city council (three schemes), Gateshead borough council (two schemes), Sedgefield borough council, Burnley borough council, Bolton borough council, Blackburn with Darwen borough council (two schemes), Easington district council, Hartlepool borough council and Leeds city council.

Newcastle Gateshead Housing Marketing Pathfinder

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much the Newcastle Gateshead Housing Marketing Pathfinder spent on plan and strategy preparation in the North Central area of Newcastle; and how much of that sum was recharged to the Pathfinder in respect of Newcastle City Council staff engaged in plan and strategy preparation.

John Healey: Detailed financial information on HMR Pathfinder activity is not collected centrally.

Non-Domestic Rates

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what conditions small firms will be required to meet in order to be eligible for small business rate relief from April 2010.

Barbara Follett: The Small Business Rate Relief (SBRR) scheme will remain the same except that from 1 April 2010 the thresholds will change. An order to bring the changes into effect will be laid before the House in due course.
	Business ratepayers will have to fulfil two criteria to receive SBRR:
	the sole or main property that they are occupying must have a rateable value under £17,999 (£25,499 for those in Greater London); and
	if they occupy any additional properties, each of the additional properties must have a rateable value of no more than £2,599,and the total rateable value of all of the properties must be less than £17,999 (£25,499 in Greater London).
	Eligible ratepayers with a rateable value of £6,000 or below will receive 50 per cent. relief.
	Eligible ratepayers with a rateable value between £6,001 and £12,000 will receive relief on a sliding scale 50 per cent. to 0 per cent., where every £120 rateable value equates to 1 per cent.
	Eligible ratepayers with a rateable value between £12,000 and £17,999 (£25,499 in Greater London) will have their rates liability calculated using the small business non-domestic rating multiplier.
	We are proposing to remove the present requirement that ratepayers must reapply for SBRR at the 2010 revaluation.

Non-Domestic Rates: Car Boot Sales

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the Valuation Office Agency takes into account car boot sales that take place on a premises when rating a property for the 2010 rates revaluation.

Barbara Follett: The rateable value of a property represents its rental value in its current use. Where a property is used entirely, or on occasion, as a car boot sale site its rateable value for the 2010 revaluation should reflect any rental enhancement attributable to that use.

Non-Domestic Rates: Greater London

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst of 3 June 2009,  Official Report, column 590W, on non-domestic rates: Greater London, if he will place in the Library a copy of the Valuation Office Agency's document, Review of sub-location codes.

Barbara Follett: A copy of the relevant section of the guidance note has already been placed in the Library.

Non-Domestic Rates: Licensed Premises

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the provision of televisions showing Sky programmes by licensed premises is deemed to be a material condition that increases the premises' rateable value in respect of the Valuation Office Agency's 2010 rates revaluation.

Barbara Follett: Valuation officers will consider the presence of Sky TV and other forms of entertainment on offer as part of a wider consideration of all factors that may impact on the trading potential of a public house.
	Rental values are determined in the market according to the trading potential of a pub on the assumption it is run by a reasonably efficient operator, who responds to the normal trading practices and competition of the locality in which the property is situated. Valuation officers are required to make a similar judgement when assessing public houses for business rates purposes.
	This method of valuation is agreed with the industry and is a tried and tested way of valuing public houses.

Non-Domestic Rates: Ports

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what representations his Department has received on the effect of retrospective business rates on ports in Southampton.

Barbara Follett: The Department for Communities and Local Government has received no representations on the effect of retrospective business rates specific to the port of Southampton.

Non-Domestic Rates: Valuation

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Peterborough of 11 March 2009,  Official Report, column 495W, on non-domestic rates: valuation, how many sub-locations have been classified in each local billing authority or similar administrative area used by the Valuation Office Agency.

Barbara Follett: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Grant Shapps) on 19 November 2008,  Official Report, column 512W.

Planning Permission

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the erection of tree houses require planning permission; and what changes have been made to the planning requirements for tree houses since May 1997.

Ian Austin: Recent media coverage suggesting that all tree houses need full planning permission is wrong. If a tree house does not constitute development as defined under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, no planning permission would be required.
	Even in cases where a tree house is defined as development, household permitted development rights introduced in October 2008 should mean it will still be classified as permitted development and will not require planning permission.

Planning Permission

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will issue guidance to local authorities on the recourse which unsuccessful applicants may have to the courts under the new arrangements for local authority charges for pre-application planning advice.

Ian Austin: Local authorities have the power to charge for discretionary services under Section 93 of the Local Government Act 2003. Some authorities choose to charge for pre-application planning advice but under Section 93 any charge must be on a not-for-profit basis so over a year the income from charges for such services must not exceed the cost for providing them.
	Where a person who has paid a discretionary service and is dissatisfied with the service provided by the local planning authority they may make a complaint to the Local Government Ombudsman.

Planning Permission

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his Department's policy is on the precautionary principle in relation to planning policy.

Ian Austin: The Government's overall planning policy principles are contained in Planning Policy Statement 1 (PPS1): Delivering Sustainable Development.

Planning Permission: Fees and Charges

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Peterborough of 11 March 2009,  Official Report, column 497W, on planning permission: fees and charges, if he will review the mineral extraction rate fees levied on the construction of fishing lakes.

Ian Austin: I have nothing further to add.

Private Rented Housing

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  how much the Homes and Communities Agency has paid to DTZ for advice in relation to the Private Rented Sector Initiative;
	(2)  which organisations have submitted expressions of interest to the Homes and Communities Agency in respect of its Private Rented Sector Initiative;
	(3)  how many expressions of interest the Homes and Communities Agency received in relation to its Private Rented Sector Initiative; and by what date he expects the Agency to have evaluated the submissions.

John Healey: Up to August 2009, the HCA has authorised payment of £163,000 to DTZ for advice and support for the engagement with the numerous private organisations which have expressed interest in the private rental sector initiative. The engagement was carried under the HCA's property panel framework contract which was competitively tendered. A further assignment of up to £70,000 for further consultancy between August and November has also been agreed between HCA and DTZ.
	Our priority has been to encourage new long term institutional and other equity investors into the private rental sector. The HCA has therefore continued to work with several consortiums on the future potential of this sector of the housing market. Two investment interests have declared themselves publicly in the market to date-Aviva Investors with CBRE and Legal and General.
	The HCA received 64 expressions of interest from organisations interested in the private rental sector initiative. They included developers, land and property owners, management companies, housing associations and investors in this country and abroad. The HCA is now focusing on its discussions with a small number of major investment consortia which have since come together to look at the future of this new market opportunity.

Public Bodies: Executives

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to his Department's consultation document, Amending the Accounts and Audit Regulations 2003 (S.I., 2003, No. 533) to improve the transparency of reporting of remuneration of senior officials in public bodies, which  (a) organisations and  (b) individuals to the consultation, excluding those who requested confidentiality.

Barbara Follett: A summary of the responses to the Consultation document Amending the Accounts and Audit Regulations 2003 (S.I. 2003, No 533) will be published on 20 October 2009. It will also provide a full list of those who have submitted written responses but exclude those who have requested confidentiality.

Regional Government: Finance

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimates were made of the  (a) cost and  (b) staffing complement of the proposed elected regional assemblies prior to the 2004 regional assembly referendum.

Ian Austin: The White Paper Your Region, Your Choice: Revitalising the English Regions published on 22 May 2002 estimated that the cost of each of the proposed elected regional assemblies would be in the order of £25 million a year with a staffing complement of around 200, excluding staff working for the regional development agency.
	A copy of the White Paper can be found at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/archived/generalcontent/citiesandregions/publicationscities/regionalpublications/regionswhitepaper/yourregionyourchoice/

Right to Buy Scheme

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many Right to Buy applications were made by social housing tenants in each region in each year since 1997; and what percentage were accepted in each year.

John Healey: Figures showing the number of local authority Right to Buy applications and the number of successful applications are included in Live Table 648 on the CLG website, broken down by region and year, from 1998-99:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/housing/xls/1319863.xls
	The local authority Right to Buy data are from quarterly P1B returns from local authorities to CLG. The figures only cover applications to buy local authority properties through RTB, not registered social landlord applications. Around 80 per cent. of RTB sales in 2007-08 were local authority properties, while 20 per cent. are of properties owned by Registered Social Landlords.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Bilderberg Group

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills for what reason the Secretary of State has not registered with the appropriate authorities his visit to the Bilderberg Conference in Greece in May 2009.

Patrick McFadden: My noble Friend the Secretary of State did register the visit: he notified the permanent secretary. The estimated value of the hospitality received did not meet the threshold for declaration in the Register of Lords' Interests.

Bilderberg Group

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills if the Secretary of State will estimate the cost of the hospitality he received pursuant to his attendance at the Bilderberg Conference in Greece in May 2009, classified by  (a) hotel accommodation,  (b) food and drink,  (c) travel and  (d) other hospitality.

Patrick McFadden: My noble Friend the Secretary of State received accommodation and meals over two nights, the costs of which were estimated against commercial rates for that time of year at the hotel in question, at around £600.

Departmental Travel

Justine Greening: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much his Department and its predecessors spent on  (a) car hire,  (b) train travel,  (c) air travel,  (d) hotels and  (e) restaurant meals for (i) Ministers and (ii) staff of his Department in each of the last five years.

Patrick McFadden: Travel by Ministers and civil servants is undertaken in accordance with the Ministerial Code and the Civil Service Management Code, and all spending on official entertainment is made in accordance with the principles set out in Managing Public Money.
	For the period 2007-08 the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform spent:
	(a) Car hire-£26,333
	(b) Rail-£1,810,648
	(c) Air-£3,218,829
	(d) Hotels-£1,051,965.
	For the period 2008-09 the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform spent:
	(a) Car hire-£33,200
	(b) Rail-£2,091,383
	(c) Air-£3,265,937
	(d) Hotels-£1,769,921.
	Details of restaurant meals are not centrally recorded.
	For the period 2007-08 the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills spent:
	(a) Rail-£1,055,224
	(b) Air-£148,942
	(c) Hotels-£106,608.
	For the period 2008-09 the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills spent:
	 (a) Rail-£1,345,200
	 (b) Air-£135,886
	 (c) Hotels-£256,885.
	Details of car hire are included with figures for the Department for Children, Schools and Families and are not available individually.
	The Department does not centrally record the travel undertaken by Ministers from that of officials; details of the previous years are not centrally recorded and to provide this information would entail disproportionate costs.
	Cabinet Office provides an annual list of overseas travel over £500 undertaken by Ministers. The 2008-09 list was published on 16 July 2009 and can be viewed at:
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/propriety and ethics/ministers/travel_gifts.aspx

Employment: Information and Communications Technology

Willie Rennie: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent assessment his Department has made of the effects on the UK skills base of the outsourcing of information technology jobs overseas.

Stephen Timms: The Department has made no recent assessment, but outsourcing is only one of many factors affecting demand for IT professionals within the UK. We also recognise that there are circumstances in which it makes financial and wider business sense for UK companies to outsource an IT service. Globalisation is radically changing the digital skills needed in the UK and around the world, and the challenge for UK IT services providers is to remain competitive by moving up the value chain.
	The IT services sector remains key to the UK's future prosperity-a fact recognised in the Government's New Industry, New Jobs and Digital Britain strategy documents, with the latter including recommendations for the development of a skilled and confident population, able to access and benefit from digital technology. e-skills UK, the Sector Skills Council for Business and Information Technology, is working hard to ensure that the UK has the skills for Britain to succeed in a global digital economy.

EU Law

Bob Spink: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department and its predecessors of the statutory obligations upon it provided for in legislation on matters for which it is responsible which were introduced as a consequence of obligations arising from EU legislation in the most recent 12 months for which figures are available.

Patrick McFadden: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to his previous similar parliamentary question on 21 July 2009,  Official Report, column 1708W.

Holiday Accommodation: Taxation

Michael Weir: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions he has had with HM Treasury on the effect of the abolition of furnished holiday lettings relief on the tourism industry.

Patrick McFadden: Tax policy is a matter for Treasury. However, my officials are in regular dialogue with Treasury colleagues on a wide range of tax matters that impact on businesses, including the withdrawal of furnished holiday lettings relief.

Lord Sugar

Nick Hurd: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to paragraph 7.16 of the Ministerial Code, whether Lord Sugar has consulted the Law Officers in relation to his proposed legal action against a  Daily Mail journalist.

Patrick McFadden: Lord Sugar is not a Minister of the Crown.

Strategic Investment Fund

Lorely Burt: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  how many applications have been  (a) received and  (b) granted for funding from the Strategic Investment Fund in each month since April 2009;
	(2)  how many applications have been  (a) received and  (b) granted for the funding from the £50 million portion of the Strategic Investment Fund allocated to support business innovation to date;
	(3)  how many applications have been  (a) received and  (b) granted for the funding from the £250 million portion of the Strategic Investment Fund allocated to support renewable energy projects and low-carbon business opportunities to date;
	(4)  how much and what proportion of funding available from the Strategic Investment Fund has been distributed since April 2009;
	(5)  how much of the portion of the Strategic Investment Fund allocated for business innovation support has been distributed since April 2009;
	(6)  how much of the portion of the Strategic Investment Fund allocated to support renewable energy projects and low-carbon business opportunities has been distributed since April 2009.

Patrick McFadden: holding answer 12 October 2009
	Over £720 million of the £750 million within the Strategic Investment Fund has already been allocated, or is earmarked for specific projects and investments. The SIF is not a fund that is open directly to companies. It is a resource that the Government are using to increase investment through existing measures-like collaborative Research and Development grants, Launch Investment for aerospace and regional Grants for Business Investment-as well as new measures such as the UK Innovation Investment Fund. Our extra support for business is delivered through these measures, not directly from the SIF. Businesses do not therefore make applications for funding from the SIF, nor do they receive funding directly from it.
	We expect to spend about £200 million of the SIF by the end of this current financial year. By way of example of the projects supported, in the area of business innovation, the Technology Strategy Board has used £50 million of additional funding from the SIF to expand the scale of its ambition for a number of activities. For example, funding from the SIF, supplemented by its core funding, has been committed to projects funded under the £25 million Low Carbon Vehicle demonstrator programme. Calls worth £6 million for research have also recently opened in the area of 'Regenerative Medicine', 'High Value Manufacturing' and 'Enabling Technologies for the Internet, Applications and Services' utilising SIF funds.
	The Department has published an update on the Strategic Investment Fund, and copies will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

CHILDREN, SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES

Building Schools for the Future Programme

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much each London borough has received in capital funding under the Building Schools for the Future programme; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: The following table shows the total payments of capital grant made to each London borough as part of the Building Schools for the Future programme to the end of financial year 2008-09.
	The figures are on cash paid basis during the year, and form part of much larger allocation figures which extend over a period of years. They do not include academies delivered through the National Framework.
	
		
			  Total capital grant paid to end 2008-09 
			  Local authority  £ million 
			 Greenwich 28.2 
			 Lewisham 9.7 
			 Newham 37.7 
			 Waltham Forest 28.6 
			 Hackney 30.2 
			 Haringey 52.8 
			 Islington 18.8 
			 Lambeth 70.7 
			 Tower Hamlets 13.3 
			 Southwark 33.8 
			 Westminster 50.2 
			 Barking and Dagenham 0.1 
			 Ealing 0.05 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 0.05 
			 Enfield 0.05 
			 Total 374.2

Business: Secondary Education

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of his Department's scheme to provide funding to schools at Key Stage 4 for Enterprise Education.

Iain Wright: A survey by the then Qualification and Curriculum Authority in 2007 showed that over 90 per cent. of secondary schools provide enterprise education for all their pupils at Key Stage 4. In 2004, fewer than half did. I am aware that many schools also offer enterprise learning activities to their Key Stage 3 students. Increasing numbers of primary schools are running activities to develop the enterprise capabilities of their pupils. To assist pupils, secondary schools receive £55 million each year for enterprise education at Key Stage 4, as part of their School Development Grant.
	To gain a more detailed and up to date assessment, my Department has commissioned a review of enterprise education which will report in early 2010.

Business: Secondary Education

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what criteria are used for allocating funding to schools at key stage 4 for Enterprise Education; and how much was allocated on average per  (a) school and  (b) pupil in the latest period for which figures are available.

Iain Wright: The £55 million grant for enterprise learning was allocated to schools in 2005-06, 90 per cent. on the basis of the numbers of pupils aged 14-16, and 10 per cent. by the number of those pupils eligible for Free School Meals. This was an average of £17,000 per secondary school.
	Since 2006-2007 the funding has been part of School Development Grant (SDG). If a school received an allocation for Enterprise Learning in 2005-2006, that allocation will have formed part of its guaranteed SDG per pupil funding since 2006. Local authorities remind schools of this when allocating the grant, so that schools are aware the funding for these activities continues to be available. Schools are free to spend their SDG on any purpose to support the raising of standards of teaching and learning, including enterprise learning.

Children in Care: Education

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the stated aim of the Virtual School Head Pilot is; how much funding for the pilot has been  (a) distributed to each local authority and  (b) subsequently spent by each authority in each year since the pilot's inception; and how much will be distributed in the next two years.

Dawn Primarolo: The virtual school head pilots ran for two academic years from September 2007 to August 2009 in 11 local authorities in England. They were designed to test the impact of having a senior local authority officer to champion the needs of all looked after children being educated in the area as if they attended a single school and to emphasise the importance of social workers and schools promoting the educational achievement of this vulnerable group.
	The funding provided for each of the pilot authorities was provided over three financial years and was based on numbers of looked after children in each authority. The allocations are set out in the table.
	
		
			  £ 
			  Local authority  2007-08  2008-09  2009-10 
			 Bournemouth 49,000 57,500 23,000 
			 Cambridgeshire 60,000 70,000 26,000 
			 Dudley 62,000 75,000 27,000 
			 Gateshead 54,000 66,500 24,500 
			 Greenwich 65,000 78,000 27,000 
			 Merton 47,000 55,000 22,000 
			 Norfolk 78,000 94,500 31,000 
			 Salford 67,000 80,500 27,500 
			 Stockport 55,000 67,500 24,500 
			 Walsall 62,000 73,000 26,500 
			 Warwickshire 62,000 74,500 27,000 
		
	
	The Government have provided over £140 million through the Area Based Grant across all local authorities for the current spending review period to implement the proposals set out in Care Matters, including in relation to the development of the virtual school head model. Local authorities in the pilot may also have used some of their additional resources or other local resources to support the development of their Virtual School Head pilot.

Children in Care: Education

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment he has made of the effects of introduction of the Virtual School Head Pilot on the percentage of children in care who achieve five GCSEs at grades A*-C in each year since the grant began; and what estimate he has made of the effect of the grant in this respect in the next two years.

Dawn Primarolo: An independent evaluation of the virtual school head pilot, which ran from September 2007 to August 2009, undertaken by the university of Bristol was published in August 2009. A copy of the report can be downloaded at:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/research/data/uploadfiles/DCSF-RR144.pdf
	The research states that:
	analysis of official educational outcome statistics showed that, over the period of the pilots, the 11 authorities performed well compared to the national average and most showed improvement in GCSE results.
	An analysis of education outcomes(1) for looked-after children in the 11 virtual school head pilot local authorities(2) as if they were one region shows that between 2007 and 2008 there was a 3 percentage point increase in the number of children looked after for 12 months who achieved 5 A*-C at GCSE compared to a 1.3 percentage increase nationally. Outcomes for 2009 have not yet been published.
	The Department has disseminated the findings of the virtual school head evaluation to embed the most effective elements of the role into practice across every local authority. Together with the new statutory requirement for the governing body of every maintained school to appoint a designated teacher for looked-after children, this provides a strong framework for delivering our national public service agreement targets to narrow the gap in education outcomes for looked-after children achieve in 2011.
	(1) Outcomes Indicators for Children Looked After, 12 months to 30 September 2008, England.
	(2) Bournemouth, Cambridgeshire, Dudley, Gateshead, Greenwich, Merton, Norfolk, Salford, Stockport, Walsall, Warwickshire.

Children: Mental Health

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps he has taken to increase awareness in schools of mental health problems among children.

Dawn Primarolo: As the key universal service for children, schools play an important role in the promotion of better emotional health and resilience and early intervention where mental health problems may arise. There are a number of programmes in schools that increase awareness of mental health issues for children and young people. These include the Healthy Schools Programme and Targeted Mental Health in Schools.
	The Healthy Schools Programme requires schools to have policies and practices in place to support emotional health and wellbeing, including identifying children at risk of experiencing behavioural, emotional or social difficulties. Currently 99 per cent. of schools in England are working towards or have achieved Healthy School status.
	The Targeted Mental Health in Schools (TaMHS) programme is developing models of mental health support in schools for those children, young people and their families who need it most.
	The project includes training for school staff to equip them with the knowledge and ability to identify problems early, to work with and support children and young people at risk of experiencing mental health problems and to refer them to appropriate mental health professionals, as necessary. It also provides mental health awareness and promotion for children, young people and families. Funded by £60 million between 2008 and 2011, the programme is currently operating in 80 local authorities. From September 2010 TaMHS will be operating in clusters of schools in all areas.
	There are other school based programmes that also promote better emotional wellbeing. Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning (SEAL) is a comprehensive voluntary programme to develop the social and emotional skills of all pupils, while the new personal wellbeing programme of study within Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education includes a specific focus on issues relating to emotional wellbeing and mental health.

Horse Riding: Education

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what representations he has received from riding schools on the operation  of (a) the Children and Young Persons Act 1933 and  (b) the Children (Protection at Work) Regulations 1988.

Dawn Primarolo: According to our records the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families has received no such representations.

Members: Correspondence

Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families when the Minister of State will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire, dated 6 June 2009 on child protection.

Dawn Primarolo: A reply to the hon. Member's letter regarding the proposals put forward by the Baby P Legacy Group was sent on 12 August 2009.

Pupils: Per Capita Costs

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the per pupil funding for  (a) primary and  (b) secondary school children in each London borough was in each of the last five years.

Vernon Coaker: The per pupil revenue funding figures for primary and secondary school pupils for each London local authority in 2004-05 and 2005-06 are as follows. These figures are in real terms:
	
		
			  Real terms revenue funding per pupil-EFS plus grants 
			  £ 
			2004-05  2005-06 
			Primary(aged 3-10)  Secondary (aged 11-15)  Primary (aged 3-10)  Secondary (aged 11-15) 
			 301 Barking and Dagenham 4,480 4,390 4,690 4,580 
			 302 Barnet 4,280 4,190 4,600 4,490 
			 303 Bexley 3,880 3,790 4,070 3,970 
			 304 Brent 4,920 4,840 5,240 5,140 
			 305 Bromley 3,880 3,800 4,120 4,030 
			 202 Camden 5,950 5,900 6,190 6,130 
			 306 Croydon 4,210 4,120 4,430 4,330 
			 307 Ealing 4,720 4,630 5,070 4,960 
			 308 Enfield 4,440 4,360 4,650 4,540 
			 203 Greenwich 5,290 5,190 5,660 5,530 
			 204 Hackney 6,060 6,010 6,460 6,390 
			 205 Hammersmith and Fulham 5,780 5,680 6,030 5,950 
			 309 Haringey 5,170 5,070 5,410 5,320 
			 310 Harrow 4,290 4,190 4,580 4,470 
			 311 Havering 3,840 3,750 4,050 3,950 
			 312 Hillingdon 4,190 4,080 4,470 4,350 
			 313 Hounslow 4,620 4,530 4,930 4,820 
			 206 Islington 5,840 5,760 6,200 6,120 
			 207 Kensington and Chelsea 5,990 5,950 6,180 6,120 
			 314 Kingston upon Thames 3,920 3,800 4,220 4,100 
			 208 Lambeth 5,910 5,820 6,200 6,100 
			 209 Lewisham 5,430 5,340 5,800 5,690 
			 315 Merton 4,290 4,190 4,590 4,470 
			 316 Newham 5,100 4,990 5,380 5,270 
			 317 Redbridge 4,140 4,040 4,370 4,260 
			 318 Richmond upon Thames 3,890 3,800 4,140 4,030 
			 210 Southwark 5,510 5,430 5,970 5,860 
			 319 Sutton 3,990 3,870 4,180 4,050 
			 211 Tower Hamlets 6,200 6,080 6,650 6,520 
			 320 Waltham Forest 4,730 4,630 4,920 4,830 
			 212 Wandsworth 5,120 5,070 5,490 5,420 
			 213 Westminster 5,650 5,570 5,930 5,820 
			  Notes 1. Price Base: Real terms at 2008-09 prices, based on GDP deflators as at 30 June 2009. 2. Figures reflect relevant sub-blocks of Education Formula Spending (EFS) settlements and include the pensions transfer to EFS. 3. Total funding also includes all revenue grants in DFES Departmental Expenditure Limits relevant to pupils aged 3-15 and exclude Education Maintenance Allowances (EMAs) and grants not allocated at LEA level. 4. The pupil numbers used to convert £ million figures to £ per pupil are those underlying the EFS settlement calculations. 5. Rounding: Figures are rounded to the nearest £10. 
		
	
	The revenue per pupil figures shown in the following table are taken from the new Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG). They are not comparable with those for the years 2004-05 to 2005-06 because the introduction of the DSG in 2006-07 fundamentally changed how local authorities are funded.
	The 2004-05 to 2005-06 figures are based on Education Formula Spending (EFS) which formed the education part of the Local Government Finance Settlement, plus various grants. This was an assessment of what local authorities needed to fund education rather than what they spent. The DSG is based largely on an authority's previous spending. In addition, the DSG has a different coverage to EFS. EFS comprised a schools block and an LEA block (to cover LEA central functions) whereas DSG only covers the school block. LEA block items are still funded through DCLG's Local Government Finance Settlement but education items cannot be separately identified. Consequently, there is a break in the Department's time series as the two sets of data are not comparable.
	To provide a comparison for 2006-07 DSG, the Department have isolated the schools block equivalent funding in 2005-06; as described above this does not represent the totality of 'education' funding in that year.
	The per pupil revenue funding figures for years 2005-06 (baseline) to 2008-09 for each London local authority are provided in the following table. As the DSG is a mechanism for distributing funding, a split between primary and secondary schools is not available.
	The following figures are for all funded pupils aged 3-19 and are in real terms:
	
		
			  Real terms revenue funding per pupil-DSG plus grants 
			  £ 
			All pupils aged 3-19 
			2005-06 (Baseline)  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 301 Barking and Dagenham 4,940 4,940 5,230 5,270 
			 302 Barnet 4,790 4,960 5,120 5,200 
			 303 Bexley 4,390 4,490 4,650 4,730 
			 304 Brent 5,190 5,320 5,570 5,700 
			 305 Bromley 4,220 4,330 4,500 4,590 
			 202 Camden 6,550 6,670 6,880 6,910 
			 306 Croydon 4,470 4,640 4,840 4,910 
			 307 Ealing 5,180 5,330 5,520 5,620 
			 308 Enfield 4,750 4,890 5,060 5,100 
			 203 Greenwich 5,640 5,900 6,110 6,260 
			 204 Hackney 6,480 6,890 7,050 7,250 
			 205 Hammersmith and Fulham 6,030 6,310 6,530 6,490 
			 309 Haringey 5,540 5,620 5,830 5,940 
			 310 Harrow 4,570 4,780 4,950 5,170 
			 311 Havering 4,350 4,440 4,590 4,670 
			 312 Hillingdon 4,600 4,770 4,920 4,990 
			 313 Hounslow 4,990 5,160 5,320 5,380 
			 206 Islington 6,110 6,410 6,690 6,660 
			 207 Kensington and Chelsea 6,400 6,460 6,590 6,530 
			 314 Kingston upon Thames 4,540 4,650 4,780 4,850 
			 208 Lambeth 6,160 6,370 6,600 6,780 
			 209 Lewisham 5,890 6,110 6,290 6,330 
			 315 Merton 4,530 4,800 4,950 5,010 
			 316 Newham 5,340 5,620 5,850 5,970 
			 317 Redbridge 4,380 4,560 4,750 4,820 
			 318 Richmond upon Thames 4,420 4,540 4,670 4,750 
			 210 Southwark 5,970 6,410 6,620 6,650 
			 319 Sutton 4,480 4,570 4,730 4,810 
			 211 Tower Hamlets 6,650 6,990 7,250 7,350 
			 320 Waltham Forest 4,950 5,160 5,320 5,330 
			 212 Wandsworth 5,410 5,630 5,860 5,980 
			 213 Westminster 5,520 6,010 6,290 6,260 
			  Notes: 1. This covers funding through the Dedicated Schools Grant, School Standards Grant, School Standards; Grant (Personalisation) and Standards Fund as well as funding from the Learning and Skills Council; it excludes grants which Ere not allocated at LA level. 2. Price Base: Real terms at 2008-09 prices, based on GDP deflators as at 30 June 2009 3. These figures are for all funded pupils aged 3-19 4. Figures have been rounded to the nearest £10. 5. Some of the grant allocations have not been finalised. If these do change, the effect on the funding figures is expected to be minimal.

Sure Start Programme: West Midlands

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many additional Sure Start centres are planned to be opened in  (a) Staffordshire and  (b) the West Midlands in the next three years.

Dawn Primarolo: Staffordshire county council currently has 43 Sure Start Children's Centres offering services to approximately 36,100 children, with an additional 13 planned to be delivered. West Midlands currently has 331 centres reaching 285,300 children with a further 48 planned. All centres are planned to be delivered by March 2010 in order to provide universal coverage of children's centre services for children under five and their families.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Carbon Emissions

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps his Department is taking to monitor the effects of climate emission reduction targets on levels of carbon dioxide emissions.

Joan Ruddock: The Department monitors UK greenhouse gas emissions by way of our greenhouse gas inventory. The inventory is reviewed each year and the full dataset revised to incorporate methodological improvements and new data. The most recent results were published on 3 February 2009. These show UK greenhouse gas emissions in 2007 by source sector for each gas. The 2007 publication shows carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions have reduced by 8.5 per cent. (50.3 Mt CO2) since 1990, and by 1.6 per cent. (9 Mt CO2) since 1997. CO2 is the main greenhouse gas, accounting for 85.3 per cent. of total UK greenhouse gas emissions in 2007.
	In March 2009, DECC published the provisional 2008 UK greenhouse gas emissions figures. In 2008, UK emissions of the six greenhouse gases covered by the Kyoto protocol were provisionally estimated to be 623.8 Mt of CO2 equivalent. This was 2 per cent. lower than the 2007 figure of 636.6 Mt.
	In reporting emissions reductions against all of these targets, the UK is able to take account of emissions trading through the European Union emissions trading scheme (EU ETS). Overall, in each one of the three years in phase I, the UK was a net acquirer of allowances. Taking this into account in the context of the UK's reported emissions, this has affected the results by reducing the level of emissions by the amount of EU ETS allowances acquired in the year.
	It should be noted that UK and EU targets are for a basket of greenhouse gasses and not just CO2.

Carbon Emissions

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many sub-contractors have been contracted to carry out work under the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target scheme.

Joan Ruddock: This information is not held centrally as it is commercially confidential. The Carbon Emissions Reduction Target is an obligation on gas and electricity suppliers to deliver carbon reduction in GB households. Who the energy suppliers contract to deliver low carbon products in achievement of their targets is at their discretion.

Carbon Emissions

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many enquiries made to the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target scheme about free insulation for houses have been received; and how many such enquiries led to the installation of free insulation.

Joan Ruddock: This information is not held centrally. The Carbon Emissions Reduction Target is an obligation on gas and electricity suppliers to deliver carbon reduction in GB households and each supplier will have their own range of promotions, often through a range of delivery routes. This includes work with social housing providers, charities, retailers, contracting directly with insulation installers or through management agents as well as direct marketing.

Carbon Emissions

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many people have unsuccessfully applied for domestic insulation under the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target scheme.

Joan Ruddock: This information is not held centrally as it is commercially confidential. The Carbon Emissions Reduction Target is an obligation on gas and electricity suppliers to deliver carbon reduction in GB households. It is at suppliers' discretion which households they deliver measures to in achievement of their targets.

Carbon Emissions

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many houses in Bassetlaw constituency have been insulated under the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target scheme.

Joan Ruddock: This information is not held centrally. Under the governing regulations, Government cannot oblige energy suppliers to report on where measures are installed under the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target. However, we are progressing a voluntary agreement with the energy suppliers to this end, which we hope to have in place this year. This will report all CERT insulation data into the Home Energy Efficiency Database held by the Energy Saving Trust, and allow area based analysis.

Carbon Emissions

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many people have received domestic insulation under the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target scheme.

Joan Ruddock: From 1 April 2008 to 30th June 2009, 717,646 cavity wall insulation measures, 889,768 professional loft insulation measures and 14,059 solid wall insulation measures were installed under the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target.

Climate Change

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether his Department consulted scientists from outside the International Panel on Climate Change prior to publishing the document, Road to Copenhagen.

Joan Ruddock: The UK Government use the IPCC's findings and those from other reliable scientific sources such as the Hadley Centre to inform the development of UK climate change policy positions and these are reflected throughout the Road to Copenhagen Command Paper.
	The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change provides the most authoritative perspective on climate change science. Its 4(th) annual report, published in 2007, was the result of six years of work by more than 1,200 scientists from over 130 countries. The work was reviewed by around 2,500 experts.

Climate Change

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials of his Department are expected to attend the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in December 2009; and what recent estimate he has made of the projected carbon footprint resulting from such travel to attend the conference.

Joan Ruddock: We have not yet determined who will attend from the Department of Energy and Climate Change, so we cannot say with certainty how many Ministers or officials will be on the delegation. This will depend largely on the state of international negotiations at the time of the conference.
	Without knowing the size of our delegation, it is impossible to project our carbon footprint, however, we are taking steps proactively to minimise the delegation's impact on the environment.
	DECC offset all emissions from international flights.
	In addition to flying, we are researching low-carbon methods of transport, i.e. rail and ferry, to allow delegates to minimise their emissions in travelling to Copenhagen.
	We are also researching materials and practices we can employ at the conference to minimise our impact on the environment. Internal experts are advising on possible innovations to improve the green-ness of the UK delegation.
	The Danish Government are keen to make COP 15 the greenest COP so far, and so they are providing free public transport and showcasing a host of environmentally friendly vehicles. We will be taking full advantage of this to minimise our daily carbon footprint.

Climate Change: Research

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what research into geoengineering techniques for the purpose of combating climate change his Department has funded in the last 12 months.

Joan Ruddock: During the last 12 months, DECC has funded a small amount of modelling work into the environmental consequences of several geo-engineering options, including injecting sulphate aerosols into the stratosphere and encouraging low level cloud development to increase regional reflectivity.

Coal: Industrial Health and Safety

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many crossover claims under the coal health compensation scheme have been made by each of the 50 solicitors' firms which have made the highest number of such claims.

David Kidney: The number of claims under the coal health compensation schemes submitted by the 50 highest claimants' representative that had the crossover issues is shown in the following table as at 4 October 2009.
	
		
			  Claimants' representatives  Location  Claims with crossover issues 
			 Thompsons Solicitors Newcastle Upon Tyne 1,330 
			 Thompsons Solicitors Edinburgh-Scottish claims only 531 
			 Graysons Solicitors Sheffield 531 
			 Raleys Solicitors Barnsley 432 
			 Union of Democratic Mineworkers Mansfield 397 
			 Hugh James Respiratory Disease Dept 324 
			 Watson Burton LLP Newcastle Upon Tyne 290 
			 Hugh James Cardiff 270 
			 Thompsons Solicitors - 213 
			 Browell Smith  Co Newcastle Upon Tyne 209 
			 Towells Solicitors Wakefield 186 
			 Irwin Mitchell Solicitors Sheffield 155 
			 Randell Lloyd Jenkins  Martin Llanelli 148 
			 Atteys Rotherham 130 
			 Corries Solicitors Glasgow-Scottish claims only 123 
			 Beresfords Solicitors Doncaster (UDM only) 113 
			 Shaw  Co Solicitors Doncaster 106 
			 Kidd  Spoor Harper Solicitors Newcastle Upon Tyne 90 
			 Moss Solicitors Moss UDM claims only 86 
			 Hopkins Eden Court, Mansfield 83 
			 Beresfords Solicitors Doncaster 78 
			 Thompson  Co Solicitors Sunderland 74 
			 O H Parsons  Partners Solicitors London 58 
			 Oxley  Coward Solicitors Rotherham 57 
			 Ashton Morton Slack LLP AMS UDM claims only 55 
			 Furley Page Canterbury 54 
			 Latham  Co Solicitors Leicester 54 
			 Latham  Co Solicitors Leicester 47 
			 Keeble Hawson Doncaster 42 
			 Kingslegal Cardiff 40 
			 Moss Solicitors Loughborough 40 
			 Gorman Hamilton Solicitors Newcastle Upon Tyne 39 
			 T S Edwards  Son Solicitors Ystrad Mynach 37 
			 BHP LAW Belmont 31 
			 Keeble Hawson Moorhouse Sheffield 30 
			 Mortons Solicitors Sunderland 29 
			 Gabb  Co Powys 28 
			 Morisons Solicitors Edinburgh-Scottish claims only 28 
			 Shaw  Co Solicitors Newcastle upon Tyne 27 
			 Marrons Solicitors Newcastle Upon Tyne 25 
			 Saffmans Solicitors Leeds 25 
			 TLW Solicitors North Shields 24 
			 Meloy Whittle Robinson Preston 23 
			 Corries York York 18 
			 McLeish Carswell Glasgow-Scottish claims only 18 
			 Browell Smith  Co Newcastle-SPSSG 15 
			 Hopkins  14 
			 Mincoffs Solicitors Newcastle Upon Tyne 13 
			 Endlars Solicitors 86A Bury Old Road 13 
			 Hindle Campbell Solicitors North Shields 13 
			 Total  6,796

Departmental Buildings: Renewable Energy

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many Government buildings use heat generated by  (a) solar panels and  (b) ground source heat pumps.

Joan Ruddock: DECC does not hold information about the number of Government buildings that use heat generated by  (a) solar panels and  (b) ground source heat pumps. However, neither of DECC's buildings generate heat using these methods.

Departmental Cars

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much his Department spent on hire vehicles in each of the last five financial years.

Joan Ruddock: The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) came into existence on 3 October 2008. The Department has since spent as follows:
	
		
			  Financial year  £ 
			 2008-09 11,370 
			 2009-10 75,311

Departmental Personnel

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many staff there were in his Department  (a) at its creation and  (b) on the latest date for which figures are available.

Joan Ruddock: On 3 October 2008, approximately 800 staff were transferred to the Department of Energy and Climate Change. On 1 September 2009, there were 1,070 staff in the Department.

Devolution: Energy

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent discussions there have been between officials of his Department, the Wales Office and the Welsh Assembly Government on the devolution to the Welsh Assembly of energy consents above 50MW.

David Kidney: None. The Government are continuing with their plans to transfer decision making on consent applications for electricity generating stations above 50 MW in England and Wales to the new Infrastructure Planning Commission.

Forests

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what mechanisms are in place to ensure that Reducing Emissions from Deforestation in Developing Countries funding is not used to replace forests with plantations.

Joan Ruddock: Reducing emissions from deforestation is under discussion as part of the climate change negotiations that will conclude in Copenhagen this December. As part of these talks, safeguards against the conversion of natural forests to plantations are being discussed and we are seeking the strongest possible outcome on this.

Housing: Finance

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on whether funding allocated to his Department is to be re-allocated to the Department for Communities and Local Government to help implement the housing policies announced in the Draft Legislative Programme for 2009-10.

Joan Ruddock: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has many meetings with my right hon. Friend the Chancellor, where they discuss matters over a wide range of topics.

Written Questions: Government Responses

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when he expects to provide a substantive reply to question 290929 tabled on 9 September 2009 on compensation payments under the Guaranteed Standards Scheme.

David Kidney: My hon. Friend the Minister of State for the Department of Energy and Climate Change answered the hon. Members question on 12 October 2009,  Official Report, column 468W.